Two former Ukrainian officials sentenced to 19 and 20 years in prison in occupied Luhansk
Anastasiia Baiova, who worked at the Shchastya District State Administration, and Nataliia Dzhus, who served as a dormitory supervisor at a college in Novoaidar, were sentenced by an occupation court in Luhansk to 19 and 20 years in prison, respectively.
The occupation prosecutor’s office and court alleged that in September 2022, the two women directed fire at locations where Russian military personnel and displaced civilians were staying in Novoaidar. However, the occupation authorities failed to specify under which articles of the Russian Criminal Code the women were sentenced.
Anastasiia Baiova
The disappearance of Anastasiia Baiova and Nataliia Dzhus became known in early October 2022, but they were actually abducted on September 20 and 22, respectively. Russian media widely circulated information about their detention, including the so-called “confession” videos.
On September 20, Russian forces also abducted Oleksii Baiov, the former head of the Department of the State Register of Voters at the Shchastya District State Administration, where Anastasiia Baiova worked. While Baiova and Baiov share the same last name, patronymic, and hometown – Novoaidar – they are not relatives. According to Tetiana Novikova, head of the Shchastya District State Administration, they both planned to leave the occupied territory. Anastasiia had even already booked her travel.
Oleksii Baiov after abduction. Photo: screenshot from a video.
Oleksii Baiov was accused of the same charges as Anastasiia Baiova and Nataliia Dzhus. Like them, he also “confessed” on camera, but it is known that he was tortured. Nearly a year ago, the occupation prosecutor’s office in Luhansk reportedly transferred his case to court. However, as far as is known, he has not yet been tried.
The International Committee of the Red Cross has confirmed that all three are being held in captivity. This recognition means they have a chance of being included in a prisoner exchange. The colleagues of Baiova, Baiov, and Dzhus are closely monitoring all “official” statements about their cases and maintaining contact with Ukrainian authorities in an effort to secure their release.
Nataliia Dzhus
According to Tetiana Novikova, there is virtually no contact with the detainees. In the two and a half years of their captivity, they have been allowed only two or three visits with their relatives.
Russian authorities claim that information provided by Anastasiia Baiova, Nataliia Dzhus, and Oleksii Baiov allegedly helped Ukrainian forces carry out a strike on Novoaidar on September 21, 2022. According to Moscow-controlled media, the attack, carried out with HIMARS precision strike missile and allegedly directed by three local residents, resulted in the death of one civilian and the injury of another. The strike also reportedly damaged or destroyed a two-story residential building, as well as college and dormitory facilities.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Strategic Communications Department, however, stated that the strike targeted an ammunition depot and the location of Russian military forces. In the video filmed by someone at the scene and distributed by Stratcom, only the sky and the treetops are visible, with columns of smoke rising, accompanied by the sound of artillery shell impacts.
Authored by Yuliya Abibok, the MIHR journalist
This article was prepared with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands.
