abductions of civilians

The prison guards of  “Izolyatsia” replicated torture methods shown in the American film The Mauritanian: the account of Daniil Bulhakov about his three years in the “DPR” prisons
Articles - 16 January 2026

The prison guards of “Izolyatsia” replicated torture methods shown in the American film The Mauritanian: the account of Daniil Bulhakov about his three years in the “DPR” prisons

In an interview with ZMINA, Daniil Bulhakov described how people in the "DPR" were imprisoned just so their property and businesses could be taken over, how things changed in prisons when the Russians took over, how he met British prisoners Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner at the colony, where they were facing the death penalty, and how the guards of "Izolyatsia" borrowed ideas for torture from the film "The Mauritanian."

The ethno-band DakhaBrakha has released a lullaby for Ukrainian children stolen by Russia
News - 09 December 2025

The ethno-band DakhaBrakha has released a lullaby for Ukrainian children stolen by Russia

The lullaby was created during the full-scale war as a reaction to the deportation of Ukrainian children. The video was filmed near Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv to symbolize historical continuity and shared trauma

Resident of Oleshky on life under occupation and her missing husband after the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in Kherson region
Articles - 16 June 2025

Resident of Oleshky on life under occupation and her missing husband after the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in Kherson region

The resident of Oleshky told ZMINA about almost a year and a half of life under occupation, the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant dam in the southern Ukraine, the behaviour of collaborators, and her missing husband.

Abductions: from sensation to routine. How the practice of enforced disappearances has changed in the occupied Crimea
Articles - 17 October 2024

Abductions: from sensation to routine. How the practice of enforced disappearances has changed in the occupied Crimea

Enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions and politically motivated prosecutions in the occupied Crimea have become the routine. This statement was made by human rights defenders at a session of the UN Human Rights Council last week. 

“It’s 7-8 kilometres here”: school principal in Kherson region forced by occupiers to swim across Dnipro because he did not want to cooperate
Articles - 11 June 2024

“It’s 7-8 kilometres here”: school principal in Kherson region forced by occupiers to swim across Dnipro because he did not want to cooperate

He shared his story with ZMINA about the pressure on teachers during the occupation and how he managed to survive and escape with his family.