France arrests Ukrainian linked to notorious Russian torture prison in occupied Donetsk
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Law enforcement officials in France have arrested a Ukrainian man charged with committing war crimes at the Russian-run Izolyatsia prison in occupied Donetsk, Ukraine's Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko reported on May 8.
The man is accused of voluntarily collaborating with Russian occupation authorities from 2017-2019 and assisting the head of the prison in the torture of detainees.
Russian forces established the notorious torture camp at the premises of a former factory and art center Izolyatsia ("isolation") in Donetsk after capturing the city in 2014. It became known as a site of illegal imprisonment and torture of many Ukrainian prisoners of war, activists, journalists, and other civilians.
In cooperation with the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office, French law enforcement detained the suspect, who had been living as a refugee in France since 2021, Kravchenko said.
The man fled Ukraine after a criminal investigation into his activities at Izolatsiya.
Former prisoners have accused the individual of assisting the head of the prison, including torturing inmates, forcing confessions, and exerting physical and psychological pressure. The investigation has so far identified nine victims.
After the suspect's escape to France, Ukrainian prosecutors, and the NGO Truth Hounds appealed to French law enforcement to open their own criminal investigation. Ukrainian agencies cooperated with French officials to investigate the case, Kravchenko said.
France's National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor's Office then issued a request to arrest the man, who has been detained and charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The arrest marks the second time a foreign country has detained an individual for committing war crimes in Ukraine. In 2023, Yan Petrovsky, a Russian-Norwegian nationalist and co-leader of the far-right paramilitary group Rusich, was arrested in Finland on Aug. 23.
"We highly value international cooperation with foreign partners," Kravchenko said. "It once again demonstrates that no borders will be a protection for individuals involved in crimes against Ukrainians."
A specialized unit of Paris court is currently overseeing the continued investigation into the Ukrainian suspect's alleged crimes at Izolyatsia.
The former head of the Izolyatsia prison, Denys Kulikovskyi, was sentenced to 15 years in jail and confiscation of property by a Kyiv district court in 2024. He was convicted on charges of terrorism, cruel treatment of prisoners, and participation in an illegal armed formation.
