Ukraine to determine cause of death of Azov Regiment soldier in Russian captivity

Anastasia Protz — Wednesday, 31 July 2024, 16:58

Oleksandr Ishchenko, a member of the Azov Regiment who died in a Russian prison. Photo: Ukraine’s Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets on Telegram

Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War is investigating the circumstances surrounding Ukrainian soldier Oleksandr Ishchenko's death in Russian captivity. Ishchenko, who was a driver in Ukraine's Azov regiment, was captured in Mariupol and died in a pre-trial detention centre in Rostov-on-Don.

Source: Petro Yatsenko, head of the press service of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, in a comment to public broadcaster hromadske

Details: Yatsenko confirmed the death of Azov Brigade serviceman Oleksandr Ishchenko in a Russian pre-trial detention centre. He added that the Headquarters is investigating all the circumstances and gathering information, but a forensic examination is necessary to determine the cause of death.

Quote: "We are collecting information and determining the causes and circumstances. If they are not related to the state of [Ishchenko’s] health but to other factors, this will serve as evidence for the International Criminal Court."

Background:

On 31 July, Russian media reported that Ukrainian defender Oleksandr Ishchenko, who served as a driver in the Azov Regiment and was captured in Mariupol, had died in Russian custody at a pre-trial detention centre in Rostov-on-Don.
Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said Ishchenko died nine days ago, according to his daughter. Lubinets said no one had formally informed the Ukrainian side of this. There has been no official report on what caused the Ukrainian citizen’s death.
The Ombudsman further stated that he had immediately written to the Russian Federation's Commissioner for Human Rights, asking her to look into the unfortunate death of a prisoner of war held by Russia and to report back to him regarding the circumstances and cause of Ishchenko's death.

For reference:

Oleksandr Ishchenko was 55. He was born in Mariupol and was a sailor. A few days before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Ishchenko had just returned home from a sea voyage. He joined the Azov Regiment and became a driver there. In May 2022, he was taken captive by Russia. Oleksandr and his brothers-in-arms were tried by the Russians on trumped-up charges, accused of terrorism and attempting to overthrow the government. They were held in a detention centre in the Russian Federation.

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