Ukrainian journalist Dmytro Khyliuk held in Russian colony

Russian authorities are holding Ukrainian journalist Dmytro Khyliuk, who was captured in March 2022, in a penal colony in Vladimir region, Russia. This was reported by a recently released Ukrainian soldier, according to Reporters Without Borders.

According to journalists, the last person to see Dmytro Khyliuk was a Ukrainian serviceman named "Vlad" in early May 2025. This soldier, from the 36th Marine Brigade, had himself been captured in the first weeks after the full-scale invasion and in October 2022 was transferred to Correctional Colony IK-7 in Pakino, located in Vladimir region, several hundred kilometers east of Moscow.

According to information obtained by Reporters Without Borders, Dmytro Khyliuk was transferred there a year later, in May 2023. In August of the same year, the two men briefly shared a cell for one day.

Previously, a former prisoner who had spent a year in the same cell as the journalist told Reporters Without Borders after his release that Dmytro Khyliuk had become unrecognizable compared to his pre-arrest photos. He weighed no more than 45 kilograms, and "Vlad" still considers this estimate accurate.

According to "Vlad", the detention conditions slightly improved at the end of 2024 following a visit to Pakino by a delegation led by Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova. However, the situation worsened again in 2025.

Food supply deteriorated, and access to medical care remains extremely limited, particularly concerning scabies, which is a common issue in the prison. Reporters Without Borders writes that around 300 Ukrainians are still believed to be held there.

In early May 2025, shortly before his release, "Vlad" again encountered Dmytro Khyliuk by chance in a prison corridor. The journalist appeared to be heading to the doctor. He showed no visible signs of abuse or injury.

“After more than three years of ordeal in Russian jails, Dmytro Khyliuk continues to suffer mistreatment and deprivation. While prisoner exchanges have increased in recent months between the two countries, it is incomprehensible that this journalist, in a state of chronic malnutrition, is still detained. We call for his immediate and unconditional release, before his situation worsens further and it is too late,” said Reporters Without Borders representative Arnaud Froger.

• In total, according to media reports, 29 Ukrainian journalists are currently being held in Russia, making it the world’s largest jailer of foreign journalists.