Russians tortured to death two 16-year-old teens from occupied Melitopol
Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Mariana Betsa reported during debates ahead of the U.N. General Assembly that Russians tortured to death two young men from Russian-occupied Melitopol, Zaporizhzhia region — Danylo Dakhov and Pavlo Hrymak — while in Russian captivity. The occupiers had previously accused them of “terrorism.”
Danylo Dakhov and Pavlo HrymakAccording to Suspilne Zaporizhzhia public broadcaster, Danylo and Pavlo were active citizens who demonstrated their civic position by participating in numerous peaceful events, such as forest cleanups and tree plantings. The 16-year-old boys wanted to enroll in universities after finishing school.
“They attended excursions in their native Zaporizhzhia region, as well as events honoring the victims of the Holodomors in Ukraine, and all national holidays,” internal sources told journalists.
In December 2023, the illegitimate “police” published a video reporting the detention of a “sabotage group” called “Black Sabotage,” which allegedly included teenagers from the city of Melitopol who had received Russian passports in 2022. Russian occupiers claimed the boys had an active pro-Russian stance but were at the same time allegedly cooperating with the Security Service of Ukraine.
The illegitimate “Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation in the Zaporizhzhia Region” then initiated a criminal case against the boys under a long list of severe charges, including:
- Part 2, Article 223.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (Manufacturing explosives);
- Part 3, Article 222.1 (Illegal storage of explosives)’
- Part 1, Article 30 (Preparation for a crime);
- Part 2, Article 205 (Terrorist act)’
- Article 317 (Assassination attempt on officials).
Russia claimed it had detained the main representatives of the resistance movement in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
“The Russians threw everything at them that was possible and impossible, as is done in Russia,” the source told Suspilne Zaporizhzhia broadcaster.
According to media reports, the Russian occupiers illegally detained Danylo Dakhov and Pavlo Hrymak in August 2023. On March 10, 2024, Russians released another video featuring Pavlo and Danylo, stressing that they would be prosecuted. After this, there was no further information about the teenagers.
In late May 2024, the occupiers informed the parents of Dakhov and Hrymak that their children had allegedly died from a homemade explosive device while committing sabotage. However, according to sources for Suspilne Zaporizhzhia, Danylo and Pavlo were tortured to death in April 2024.
Russia requested the parents submit DNA for the identification of their children’s remains, but occupying officials never returned the bodies after the tests.
“They found remains, but there were only enough for one DNA test, so no other remains were left. It sounds very strange. There has still been no burial, because the bodies were never returned to the parents,” the source told Suspilne Zaporizhzhia.
This follows a similar case in June 2023, when Russian occupiers stated that they had killed two “pro-Ukrainian terrorists” in Berdiansk. Ukrainian human rights organizations concluded that these were likely Tihran Ohannesyan and Mykyta Khanghanov, whom the invaders had suspected of preparing sabotage on the railway.
Mykyta Khanghanov and Tihran OhannesyanUkraine’s Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets classified the incident as an extrajudicial execution of Ukrainian teenagers with possible staging of the video to justify the actions of Russian military personnel.
