Detention: April 9, 2025, Sevastopol, Autonomous Republic of Crimea (temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine). On the same day, her husband, Oleh Platonov, was detained by Russian security forces in Alupka. Following the detention, their nine-year-old son was removed from the family and placed under the supervision of the occupation authorities' guardianship bodies.

Sentence: As of July 21, 2026, there is no information on official charges or sentencing. The Russian Federation has not disclosed the legal grounds for Nataliya Polyukh's detention. Information about criminal proceedings, court hearings, or her place of detention remains closed. Human rights organizations classify the case as extrajudicial detention (enforced disappearance).

Nataliya Viktorivna Polyukh was born on February 24, 1975. She lived in Sevastopol with her husband, Oleh Platonov, and their minor son. There is little information in open sources about her professional activities, education, or public involvement prior to her detention. Human rights defenders note that Nataliya was a civilian and was not involved in any public criminal or political cases before her disappearance.

On April 9, 2025, Russian security forces detained Nataliya Polyukh in Sevastopol. Almost simultaneously, her husband, Oleh Platonov, was detained in Alupka, where he was on a business trip. After this, the couple ceased contact with their family. Russian authorities did not inform relatives of their whereabouts or the grounds for their detention.

After the parents' detention, their nine-year-old son was removed from the family and placed under the guardianship of the occupation administration's authorities. Ukrainian human rights defenders emphasize that such actions grossly violate the child's rights and international humanitarian law, as they were carried out without any known legal court decision and without official notification to relatives.

For more than a year after the detention, Russian authorities have provided no information on Nataliya Polyukh's whereabouts. It is unknown whether any charges have been brought against her, whether she has access to a lawyer, medical assistance, or the ability to correspond with her family.

Ukrainian human rights defenders continue to demand that the Russian Federation disclose the whereabouts of Nataliya Polyukh and Oleh Platonov, allow independent lawyers and representatives of international humanitarian organizations access to them, and ensure the rights of their minor child are upheld.

As of July 21, 2026, there is no information in verified open sources about Nataliya Polyukh's release, any official charges against her, or sentencing. Her case remains an example of enforced disappearance of civilians in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea.

Information used from open sources: ZMINA, Crimean Tatar Resource Center, Human Rights House Crimea, Human Rights Project "Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial".

Photo: ZMINA.

Update date: 21.07.2026.