71-year-old Ukrainian citizen accused of "espionage" dies in Russia

Viktor Demchenko, a 71-year-old Ukrainian citizen held in a pre-trial detention facility in Russia’s Rostov Oblast on charges of "espionage" and "participation in a terrorist organisation", has died in Russia.

Source: Memorial, a Russian human rights organisation; TASS, a Russian news outlet

Details: Memorial reported that a statement on the court’s website said that Demchenko’s case was closed due to his death.

According to Memorial, Demchenko likely died in a pre-trial detention facility in Rostov Oblast.

Little is known about Demchenko and his case other than that he was born in 1952 in Mospyne, near Donetsk, where he lived. Russian forces have been partially controlling Mospyne since 2014. It is unclear whether Demchenko had any relatives, or where they might be.

Demchenko was accused of "espionage" (Art. 276 of the Russian Criminal Code), "participation in a terrorist organisation" (Art. 205.4.2), and illegal possession of weapons or ammunition (Art. 222.1). His case was brought to the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don in late August 2023, with seven hearings taking place since.

Russian law enforcement officials told TASS that Demchenko died from a stroke in a prison hospital in Rostov Oblast on 31 December 2023. Defendants in this type of cases are normally held in Rostov pre-trial detention centres.

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