Detention: On April 11, 2018, Oleksandr was traveling through the Chonhar entry-exit checkpoint to occupied Crimea to visit an acquaintance in Alushta. After crossing the administrative border, he was detained by FSB officers. The official reason given was an alleged discrepancy in the passport photo, although Steshenko had previously used the document without issue. After administrative arrest, he was taken from the detention center to an unknown location, and his whereabouts remained unknown for several days. The Ukrainian side reported his abduction, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine demanded that Russia provide information on the whereabouts of the Ukrainian citizen.

Subsequently, the FSB announced a criminal case against Steshenko. He was accused of participating in a group allegedly planning to set fire to the house of the Crimean mufti Emirali Ablayev to incite ethnic hatred. According to Russian authorities, Steshenko confessed, but after his release, he stated that all confessions were obtained under torture. He reported that FSB officers beat him daily, used electric shocks, suffocated him with a bag, threatened to kill him, and forced him to incriminate himself and others. The confession video was recorded only after prolonged torture.

Sentence: In August 2018, the Russia-controlled Central District Court of Simferopol found Oleksandr Steshenko guilty of setting fire to the Crimean mufti's house and sentenced him to 2 years in a settlement colony. The charge of creating an extremist group was dropped after he allegedly confessed, according to the investigation. Steshenko emphasized after his release that his testimony was entirely fabricated under duress.

On August 6, 2019, Oleksandr Steshenko was released on parole and returned to Ukraine-controlled territory. After his release, he publicly spoke about the torture during the investigation, the conditions of detention, and the existence of a separate block in the Simferopol pre-trial detention centre where Ukrainians accused of extremism and terrorism were held.

Oleksandr Steshenko is a Ukrainian citizen from Kharkiv. During his imprisonment, his mother, Dina Steshenko, who was seriously ill, passed away before his release. Human rights activists reported that the family needed assistance to pay for her treatment and funeral. Steshenko noted that his mother's death was one of the most difficult consequences of his illegal imprisonment.

The case of Oleksandr Steshenko is viewed by human rights defenders as politically motivated persecution of a Ukrainian citizen. He stated that he had no involvement in the alleged arson, and the criminal case was entirely fabricated by the FSB. His testimony became evidence of the use of torture by Russian security forces to obtain confessions in politically motivated cases in occupied Crimea.

Information used from open sources: ZMINA, Crimean Tatar Resource Center, LB.ua, Radio Liberty, TSN, BBC News Ukraine, Suspilne Crimea, Suspilne Kharkiv.

Photo: Suspilne Kharkiv.

Update date: 09.07.2026.