In the 32nd prison in Makiivka, Ukrainians convicted of espionage and detained before 2022 are losing their sanity with no hope of release. This was reported by journalist and former member of Ukraine’s delegation to the Minsk TCG, Serhiy Harmash, on Facebook, citing insider information from the prison.
"They are losing their minds, literally. According to one of the inmates, their barracks hold 50 people. Of those, 15 already live in their own detached world, not returning to reality. Another seven, as he said, are 'on the verge'", - Harmash writes.
He notes that "before 2022, their plight was in the public spotlight, but today, these people are simply forgotten. Exchanges focus on prisoners of war or activists captured by rashists after the invasion, while these convicts quietly lose their minds in the prison, losing hope".
"These people have not only been deprived of freedom for 5–10 years, but they are also pressured to accept russian citizenship. Some agree and are released. Those who refuse face 'special treatment' from the guards, especially those who are russian, increasingly replacing local prison staff", - the author emphasizes.
Harmash highlighted a message from Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets about a potential exchange before the New Year.
"This is good news. And it’s clear that the warring sides are politically most interested in exchanging military personnel. But let’s not forget that for patriots of Ukraine in Donbas, the war didn’t start in 2022, but in 2014. Their refusal to trade freedom for allegiance to russia is also heroic. That’s why we must fight for these people even harder!", - the journalist wrote.