Natalia Vlasova

Natalia Vlasova

Date of detention: March 21, 2019

Place of detention: Olenivka checkpoint

Natalia Vlasova has been illegally detained by Russia for almost six years. The woman, along with two other men – Viktor Shydlovsky and Serhiy Gruzynov – was detained on March 21, 2019, by representatives of the pro-Russian quasi-structures of the “DPR”. They were accused of preparing an assassination attempt on the head of the DPR’s special operations forces, Vasyl Yevdokimov, call sign Lenin.
Natalia’s family did not know what happened to her for four months until they saw the video. The footage of the detention was shown on a federal Russian TV channel. The video shows that they were filmed after the torture.

Later, Natalia said that after her detention, she was taken somewhere with a bag over her head, beaten, and her fingers were going to be cut off. She also described the torture she experienced in ‘Izolyatsiia’ in Donetsk:

“This place was called a death factory. Its boss was Yevdokimov. At one point, I also asked to be shot when I tried to escape, but no – Yevdokimov said that I had to suffer.”

The woman said that she was stripped, tied up with duct tape, doused with water, and connected to an electric shock. If she didn’t scream enough, the shocks became stronger.

“They needed a reaction, and I didn’t realize it right away: when I screamed loud enough, I heard satisfied voices. There was also a doctor at the torture when I lost consciousness, he brought me back to life with ammonia,” Vlasova said.

The released women, who were held in ‘Izoliatsiia’ at the same time as Natalia, also confirmed the fact of torture. They said that she was taken away every day and abused, taken to have her teeth sharpened, etc.

“Once, a girl was thrown into our cell. She had sawed teeth, very swollen legs, kidney failure, concussion, bruises, and a broken nose. She said that 15 men were brought to her to do what they wanted,” says Marina Chuykova, who saw Vlasova in the Donetsk SIZO.

After four years of detention in Donetsk, in the spring of 2023, Natalia was transferred to Russia to SIZO No. 1 in Rostov-on-Don. Shidlovsky and Gruzinov were transferred to the same place. Their case lasted a year and a half. All three were found guilty of participating in a terrorist community and preparing an attempted murder of Yevdokimov. Natalia Vlasova was sentenced to 18 years in prison. The defense is currently preparing an appeal. The woman will be held in Rostov-on-Don while the proceedings are pending. If Ukraine fails to return Natalia in time, the Russian system will send her to a penal colony to serve her sentence. From Rostov, Ukrainians are sent to Krasnoyarsk Krai, Ulyanovsk or Saratov regions, or Yakutia after their sentences.

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.