Since beginning of full-scale war, 69 victims of political repression have died in Russia, including Ukrainians
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, at least 69 people, including six women, have died as a result of political repression in the Russian Federation. The victims include Ukrainian prisoners of war, residents of the occupied territories, and Russian opposition figures.
This is mentioned in a report by the human rights project "Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial," which is cited by Russian media, according to Censor.NET.
According to human rights activists, people died in Russian penal colonies and pretrial detention centers, during searches, while under house arrest, or shortly after their release.
Deaths resulting from torture and denial of medical care
At least 29 people died as a result of illness and a lack of adequate medical care. Ten such cases were recorded in 2026.
Human rights activists note that prisoners’ complaints about deteriorating health are often ignored or dismissed as feigned. At the same time, prolonged imprisonment, stress, and harsh conditions of detention exacerbate chronic illnesses.
In particular, 64-year-old Oleh Tyrishkin, who was convicted for a comment he posted on the social network "VKontakte," was forced to lie down on the floor of his cell during a video court hearing because he was unable to stand. Despite this, the pretrial detention center medical technician assured the judge that the man was in normal condition. The prisoner later died of a heart attack.
Another 20 people died as a result of beatings, torture, or their consequences. Among them were 12 Ukrainian citizens, mostly residents of the temporarily occupied territories and prisoners of war. This category also includes Krzysztof Halos, a citizen of Poland who was abducted in Ukraine.
One of the most notorious cases was the murder of Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchina, who died while in Russian captivity. Her body was returned to Ukraine showing signs of torture, a broken rib, abrasions, and missing internal organs.
How many people have died over the years?
According to "Memorial," 26 deaths were recorded in 2024, 13 in 2025, and 16 so far in 2026 (which is not yet complete).
Ten more people are believed to have committed suicide. The causes of death for eight of them remain unknown.
Among the deceased are pianist Pavel Kushnir, who died in a Birobidzhan pretrial detention center after going on a hunger strike, and Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny. Human rights activists consider Navalny’s death at the "Polar Wolf" penal colony to be a deliberate killing.
The average age of the victims was 51. The youngest were 18-year-olds Danylo Dakhov and Pavlo Hrymak from occupied Melitopol.
"Responsibility for these deaths lies with the investigators, the courts that unjustifiably deprived people of their liberty, the prison staff and doctors who denied medical care, and the security service agents who tortured prisoners," the human rights activists emphasized.
"Memorial" emphasized that the study does not include Ukrainians whom Russia is detaining without criminal charges. According to the organization's estimates, the number of deaths among them is significantly higher, but there is almost no information about such cases.
