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Ukrainian scholar Ihor Kozlovskyi who survived imprisonment in Donetsk dies at 69

by Elsa Court and The Kyiv Independent news desk September 6, 2023 5:29 PM 1 min read
Ihor Kozlovskyi, Feb. 16, 1954 - Sept. 5. 2023. (Ihor A. Kozlovskyi / Facebook)
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One of Ukraine's most prominent scholars, university professor Ihor Kozlovskyi, passed away overnight in Kyiv at age 69 following a heart attack, his family and friends said on Sept. 6.

Kozlovskyi, who came from Donetsk oblast, was a researcher, writer, and public intellectual in the field of theology and religious studies.

When Russia occupied the region and installed a proxy government in 2014, Kozlovskyi refused to leave his home, where he cared for his disabled son.

However, as a participant of the EuroMaidan protests in Donetsk and a public figure who refused to hide his Ukrainian identity, he became a target.  

In 2016, the proxy authorities held him for 700 days at the Izoliatsiia prison camp for his pro-Ukrainian views. The prison, which is on the site of a former factory and then art center, is notorious for the use of torture and the horrendous conditions the prisoners are kept in.

Kozlovskyi was released in a prisoner swap on Dec. 27, 2017, following a public campaign.

Once free, Kozlovskyi continued his writing and research, and became an activist for the release of other prisoners in Russian-occupied territories.

His death came as unexpected to those who knew him, as the night before, he attended a film premiere in Kyiv.

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