Detention: Dmytro Zakharov was detained on June 16, 2022, in the city of Henichesk, Kherson region. He is imprisoned under Article 361 of the Russian Criminal Code (“Act of International Terrorism”).

Sentence: As of July 18, 2026, there is no information in open sources about a verdict. Dmytro Zakharov remains in custody. The Russian Federation accuses him under Article 361 of the Russian Criminal Code (“Act of International Terrorism”). He is currently held in pre-trial detention centre No. 2 in Simferopol. Human rights defenders consider his prosecution politically motivated.

Dmytro Serhiyovych Zakharov was born on June 26, 1986. He lived in Henichesk, Kherson region. He is married and has children. Other biographical details, such as education or professional activity, are not publicly available.

After the occupation of parts of the Kherson region by Russian forces in 2022, Dmytro Zakharov remained in Henichesk. On June 16, 2022, he was abducted by Russian military personnel. According to the Crimean Human Rights Group, after his detention, he was illegally taken to the temporarily occupied Crimea. For a long time, his family had no reliable information about his whereabouts or procedural status.

Russian propaganda media reported after his detention that Dmytro Zakharov allegedly sent messages to Russian servicemen urging them to lay down their arms and join the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Later, the FSB of Russia informed his family that they were investigating his actions for potential harm to the security of the Russian Federation. These claims cannot be independently verified due to the closed nature of the criminal case materials.

Subsequently, Russian authorities officially charged Dmytro Zakharov under Article 361 of the Russian Criminal Code (“Act of International Terrorism”). This article provides severe punishment for actions that Russian law qualifies as terrorist crimes outside the Russian Federation. Human rights defenders emphasize that applying this article to Ukrainian citizens illegally taken from occupied territories raises serious questions about the legality of such prosecution and its compliance with international humanitarian law.

According to the Office of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, as of 2025–2026, Dmytro Zakharov is held in pre-trial detention centre No. 2 in Simferopol. There is no publicly available information about the transfer of his case to court or a verdict. There is also no officially confirmed information about his health status or the possibility of maintaining contact with his family.

The human rights project “Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial” has included Dmytro Zakharov in the list of individuals whose criminal prosecution shows signs of political motivation and significant legal violations. The organization notes that this assessment is based on an analysis of open case materials and the nature of the persecution of Ukrainian citizens after the start of the full-scale war.

As of July 18, 2026, there is no information in open sources about his release, exchange, or a final court decision regarding Dmytro Zakharov. His case remains under the monitoring of Ukrainian and international human rights organizations.

Information used from open sources: Office of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, “Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial”, Crimean Human Rights Group, ZMINA.

Photo: ZMINA.

Date updated: 18.07.2026.