Hennadiy Afanasiev, a former Crimean political prisoner who was detained by Russia, was killed in action in eastern Luhansk Oblast, reported Krym Realii media outlet on Dec. 21, citing a Crimean Tatar politician.
According to Ahtem Chiygoz, the deputy chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People and People’s Deputy of Ukraine, Crimean political activist and former political prisoner Afanasiev died defending Ukraine against Russian aggression in Bilohorivka, Luhansk Oblast.
Krym Realii said that Afanasiev’s mother confirmed the news of his death.
Afanasiev, who joined Kyiv’s Territorial Defense Forces when Russia launched its full-scale invasion, was previously detained in Russian-occupied Crimea in 2014 alongside three other Ukrainians for allegedly “planning terrorist attacks” in Simferopol.
He was sentenced to seven years in prison but was released in 2016 as part of a prisoner exchange with Russia.
Afanasiev is survived by his wife and two-year-old daughter.
