Serhii Kotov

Serhii Kotov

Date of abduction: April 7, 2022

Place of abduction: Oleshky, Kherson region

Serhii Kotov is a driving instructor from Oleshky, Kherson region. When the Russians started a full-scale war against Ukraine and occupied the town, he and his family stayed at home. On April 7, armed invaders broke into the Kotovs’ house, illegally searched it, and kidnapped Serhii. There was no contact with him for over a year. Later, the family learned that the Russians held the man in the seized building of the Kherson SSU, where he was beaten, tortured with electric shocks, and taken to execution. Then, the man was held in pre-trial detention centers No. 1 and No. 2 in Simferopol. In Crimea, he was illegally sentenced to 15 years in prison, allegedly for espionage. Serhii has hepatitis C, chronic pancreatitis, hernias, and osteomyelitis (bone disease), has to use crutches to get around, and needs regular medical care, which the Russians do not provide him. “With such diagnoses, 15 years in prison is a death sentence for my father,” emphasizes Victoria, Kotov’s daughter. In the detention center, Serhii lost 20 kilograms. In April 2024, the Russians illegally transferred the man to Russia, and now he is in quarantine along with other civilian and military Ukrainians. Subsequently, Serhii will be transferred to the barracks to serve his illegal sentence.

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.