Detention: According to Ukrainian human rights organizations, he was detained by Russian security forces on June 23, 2023, following the full-scale invasion by the Russian Federation. After his detention, he was held for a long period without contact with his family and without access to an independent lawyer. Subsequently, Russian authorities charged him under Article 276 of the Russian Criminal Code ('Espionage').

Sentence: According to the Office of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Serhiy Yerzhov was sentenced to 18 years in a strict regime penal colony on charges of 'espionage'. He is held in pre-trial detention centre No. 2 in Simferopol. Serhiy's daughter, Viktoriya Barabash, informed human rights defenders that her father requires leg surgery and is not receiving necessary medication.

Serhiy Yerzhov was born on December 26, 1980, and is a Ukrainian citizen, a civilian resident of the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine.

After the verdict, Serhiy Yerzhov remained in the system of the Federal Penitentiary Service of the Russian Federation. According to human rights defenders, he is held in pre-trial detention centre No. 2 in Simferopol, which, following the full-scale invasion, has become one of the main sites for the illegal detention of abducted Ukrainian civilians from Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. In this facility, according to numerous testimonies of released prisoners, there is systematic use of cruel treatment, psychological pressure, inadequate medical care, and isolation from the outside world.

Particular concern is raised about Serhiy Yerzhov's health. According to his daughter Viktoriya Barabash, he requires leg surgery and ongoing medication, but he is not receiving the necessary medical assistance. His physical condition is deteriorating due to prolonged detention. Human rights organizations emphasize that the failure to provide necessary medical assistance to detainees can be considered inhumane and degrading treatment.

As of July 12, 2026, Serhiy Yerzhov continues to be unlawfully detained by the Russian Federation.

Information used from open sources: ZMINA, Office of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Center for Investigative Journalism, CrimeaSOS.

Update date: 12.07.2026.