Damian Omelianenko
Date of disappearance: November 16, 2022
Place of disappearance: Berdiansk, Zaporizhzhia region
Damian Omelianenko was only 22 years old when Russian security forces first detained him. It happened on May 24, 2022. He was not told what he was accused of. He was simply taken away and locked up for a month at the local police station.
There, he was tortured: beaten with sticks and electrocuted. When he was finally released, Damian had lost 10 kilograms had broken ribs, bruises, and a swollen leg. He could hardly walk. After all this, he told his mother that he would not survive the second time. However, the second time happened.
On November 16, 2022, Russian special services detained him again. Together with his friend Artur Shashenko and his girlfriend Valeria, who was released after three days, the boys remain in captivity.
The second time, Russian security forces did not limit themselves to physical torture. An FSB representative called Damian’s mother, Tatiana. He demanded that she write down a “confession” that she had allegedly cooperated with the Ukrainian special services. Otherwise, he said, she would never see her son or his friend again. Tetiana was afraid to risk the boys’ lives, so she recorded the video. The next time, Damian himself called.
“I can’t remember a single time when my son cried as an adult” — says the mother.
“My son’s voice was trembling. He couldn’t breathe properly. It lasted a few seconds, and the connection was cut off.”
Two days later — another call. The FSB representative demanded a new video. This time, Tatiana refused.
During his detention, Damian went through several prisons in Berdiansk, Melitopol, Simferopol, Rostov, and Taganrog. It was in Taganrog that he spent more than six months in solitary confinement and lost 30 kilograms. Damian was not allowed to see his lawyer for months, and letters and parcels were not delivered.
Damian is charged with terrorism and involvement in the deaths of pro-Russian collaborators in Berdiansk. He faces life imprisonment. The boy’s mother, who has been desperately fighting for her son since the beginning, is now a wanted person herself — Russia has declared her a terrorist.
This publication was compiled with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation. It’s content is the exclusive responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the views of the International Renaissance Foundation.
