Arrest: On May 10, 2014, in Simferopol, FSB officers broke into Oleh Sentsov's apartment and abducted him. Subsequently, three other Crimeans were arrested: Oleksandr Kolchenko, Hennadiy Afanasyev, and Oleksiy Chirniy. Sentsov was transferred to the Lefortovo pre-trial detention centre in Moscow. Charges: 'organizing a terrorist group,' 'arson' of the offices of 'United Russia' and 'Russian Community of Crimea,' 'preparation for the explosion' of the Lenin monument and the 'Eternal Flame' memorial in Simferopol. Torture was used against him during interrogations. Two of the accused, Afanasyev and Chirniy, confessed and testified against Sentsov and Kolchenko, but Afanasyev later retracted his testimony, citing torture.

Sentence: On August 25, 2015, the North Caucasus District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced Oleh Sentsov to 20 years in a strict regime colony. After the verdict was announced, Sentsov and Kolchenko sang the Ukrainian anthem in the courtroom. Sentsov served his sentence in a strict regime colony in Labytnangi beyond the Arctic Circle. On September 7, 2019, he was released as part of a major exchange between Ukraine and Russia under the 35-for-35 formula, having spent 5 years and 4 months in captivity.

Oleh Hennadiyovych Sentsov was born on July 13, 1976, in Simferopol. He graduated from the Crimean branch of Kyiv State Economic University. In 2008, he founded the film company 'Kray Kinema.' His debut feature film 'Gamer' (2012) received awards at international film festivals. During the Euromaidan, he joined the protests and Automaidan. After the annexation of Crimea, he regularly traveled to the peninsula, helping supply food and water to Ukrainian military personnel on blockaded bases.

While in the polar colony, Oleh remained resilient. On May 14, 2018, he declared an indefinite hunger strike demanding the release of all Ukrainian political prisoners. His 145-day hunger strike drew global attention. Having lost 20 kg and in critical health, he ended the strike on October 6, 2018. In October 2018, Oleh Sentsov was awarded the Sakharov Prize by the European Parliament. After his release, he settled in Kyiv and continued filmmaking. Since February 24, 2022, he has been a volunteer in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, commander of an assault company of the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade, with the call sign 'Ground.'

Sentsov's case gained widespread international attention and became a symbol of the fight for the freedom of all illegally imprisoned Ukrainians. He received support from renowned filmmakers Pedro Almodóvar, Krzysztof Zanussi, and Andrzej Wajda, as well as PACE, the EU, and the USA.

Oleh was awarded the Order of Courage, 1st and 2nd class.

Information used from open sources: ZMINA, Crimean Tatar Resource Center, Radio Liberty (Crimea.Realities), Ukrayinska Pravda, Human Rights Watch, Suspilne Crimea, Hromadske.

Photo: Hromadske.

Update date: 03.07.2026.