Ukrainian journalist Khyliuk is alive and in colony in Vladimir region of Russian Federation, - warrior released from captivity
Russians are detaining journalist Dmytro Khyliuk in penal colony 7 in Pakino, Vladimir region of the Russian Federation.
This is reported by the Institute of Mass Information with reference to the data of Reporters Without Borders, Censor.NET reports.
Recently released from Russian captivity, Ukrainian soldier "Vlad" (a soldier from the 36th Marine Brigade) last saw Dmytro in early May 2025.
In early May 2025, shortly before his release, he accidentally met Dmytro Khyliuk in the corridor of a prison. The journalist seemed to be on his way to see a doctor. At the time, Khilyuk had no visible signs of ill-treatment or injury.
"He was captured by the 'authorities' in October 2022 and transferred to the penal colony-7 in Pakino. Dmytro was transferred there a year later, in May 2023. In August of that year, the two men spent one day in the same cell.
Dmytro's cell #8 was located in the third and last block, the "most severe" one, according to Vlad's testimony. According to him, Ukrainian prisoners, both civilian and military, are regularly beaten and deprived of food there, which confirms information already collected by RSF from several former prisoners. One of them, who spent a year in the same cell as the journalist, told RSF after his release that Dmytro Khyliuk had become unrecognizable compared to his pre-arrest photos. According to him, he weighed no more than 45 kilograms, and 'Vlad' still believes this estimate to be accurate.
According to Vlad, the conditions of detention improved somewhat in late 2024, after a delegation led by Russian Human Rights Ombudsman Tatyana Moskalkova visited Pakino prison. But the situation deteriorated again in 2025. Food supplies deteriorated and access to medical care remained very limited, especially for scabies, which is a regular occurrence in the prison. It is believed that about 300 Ukrainians are still being held there.
Earlier, Censor.NET reported that Ukrainian journalist Dmytro Khyliuk, who was abducted by Russians from the village of Kozarovychi, Kyiv region, in the spring of 2022, is being held in custody in Russia. It was also reported that the occupiers had taken UNIAN journalist Dmytro Khyliuk hostage.
Ukraine has unofficial information about the whereabouts of UNIAN news agency journalist Dmytro Khilyuk, who was abducted by the occupiers in Kyiv region in March 2022.
