France has detained a Ukrainian citizen suspected of involvement in the torture of prisoners at the secret Donetsk prison Izolyatsia. The information was announced by უკრაინის Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko.
According to the Ukrainian investigation, in 2017–2019 the man was linked to the Izolyatsia prison in Donetsk, which was under the control of the pro-Russian DPR structures. Former detainees identified him as an aide to the administration. Investigators say he took part in extracting confessions, used violence and torture, humiliated people, and subjected them to psychological pressure. Ukrainian authorities say they have identified at least nine victims.
Identity of the detainee
According to the Ukrainian Center for Investigative Journalism, the man is Yevhen Brazhnykov. After the case against him in Ukraine was sent to court, he left for France, where he had lived since 2021 and had sought refugee status.
Ukrainian authorities say Brazhnykov was detained through cooperation between France and Ukraine. He has been charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity.
What is known about Izolyatsia
Izolyatsia is a former insulation materials plant and contemporary art center in Donetsk. In 2014, its territory was seized by armed DPR formations. After that, the site was used as a base, a warehouse, and a place of unlawful detention.
According to the UN, Izolyatsia held Ukrainian military personnel, people suspected of ties to the SBU and of “espionage,” as well as members of the DPR structures themselves. The UN estimates that hundreds of people passed through Izolyatsia in 2014–2021. Its report describes cases of torture, beatings, mock executions, sexualized violence, and forced labor.