RSF reports: Released Ukrainian prisoner of war confirms seeing Dmytro Khilyuk in a Russian colony
New evidence has emerged from the headquarters of the human rights organization “Reporters Without Borders” regarding the fate of Ukrainian journalist Dmytro Khilyuk, who was abducted by occupying Russian forces over three years ago. A former serviceman, Vlad, who participated in the 36th Marine Brigade and was recently released from Moscow captivity, confirmed that he saw the journalist in Investigative Colony No. 7 in the village of Pakino, Vladimir Region. Details of the interview with Vlad are published in the RSF report. According to the Ukrainian serviceman, his accidental encounter with Dmytro Khilyuk took place several months ago, at the end of spring 2025, and was one of the first such meetings during the entire period of detention. The witness stated that he saw Khilyuk in the corridor of the colony — presumably, if his account can be trusted, as the journalist was heading to the medical unit. There were no visible signs of violence or beatings on him, but Khilyuk’s condition caused Vlad deep concern. According to RSF, Dmytro Khilyuk was detained during the early weeks of Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine. In October 2022, he and other prisoners were transferred to Colony No. 7 in the village of Pakino. He was held there for over a year, and at the end of May 2023, he was transferred to this very correctional facility. In the fall of the same year, a brief meeting took place in the colony — they spent a day together in the same cell. On that day, Dmytro was silent, not uttering a word, which revealed his physical and psychological condition. It is known that Cell No. 8, where the journalist was held, is located in the third and one of the harshest sections of the colony. According to testimonies of former inmates who spent over a year in the same detention as Khilyuk, conditions in this part of the prison are among the most brutal. Torture is used systematically, beatings are common, and prisoners are starved. A former cellmate, who spent many months with Khilyuk, mentioned that Dmytro’s weight did not exceed 45 kilograms and that he was virtually unrecognizable. Vladimir states: “After three years in Russian captivity, Dmytro Khilyuk is still in a state of physical exhaustion, subjected to abuse and deprivation. Despite some prisoners being already exchanged or sentenced, our compatriots, including the journalist, are still illegally detained without any explanation.” At the same time, he insists that the circumstances of Dmytro’s detention must be changed immediately and calls for his unconditional release, because time may turn out to be the worst ally in this tragic story. Signs of improved conditions in the colony were noticed at the end of 2024. According to Vlad, after a visit by a Russian delegation, including the Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova, the level of detention conditions slightly improved. However, by 2025, the situation deteriorated again — food quality worsened, and access to independent medical treatment became more limited due to frequent outbreaks of scabies and worsening sanitary conditions. According to RSF estimates, approximately 300 Ukrainian prisoners remain in the colony — military personnel, civilians, and other citizens. Overall, in Russia, at least 29 Ukrainian journalists are detained, which is a significant indicator of repression against the media sector, objectively documenting the Russia-Ukraine war. It should be recalled that Dmytro Khilyuk was abducted by occupying forces on March 3, 2022, near his house in the village of Kozarovychi, Kyiv Region. He was forcibly taken from just a few meters from his car and transported across the Belarusian border. He was then brought to the Russian town of Novozybkov in the Bryansk Region, which mostly detains Ukrainians captured during the occupation of Kyiv Oblast. Since then, nearly three years have passed with no news of Dmytro Khilyuk — all personal searches, appeals to international organizations, and Ukrainian authorities have failed to bring him home. Dmytro’s story is another vivid example of systematic human rights violations during the war, a tragedy that resonates deeply worldwide.