Russia refuses to explain deaths of Azov fighter Ishchenko, other POWs

He shared the information on Espreso TV.

"The aggressor country has not provided any official evidence or explanations regarding the death of Oleksandr Ishchenko, nor for the treatment of other prisoners of war. Russia has not released any official information and does not permit international mediators. Access for the International Committee of the Red Cross is severely restricted. This is definitely a war crime," Yatsenko emphasized.

According to the spokesperson, UN representative Danielle Bell, more than 95% of Ukrainians in captivity are subjected to inhumane treatment, including torture.

"The Coordination Headquarters does not conduct investigations because it has no authority. But we pass all the information to the authorized bodies so that it qualifies as a war crime. All those involved should be punished," added Yatsenko. 

What is known about Oleksandr Ishchenko’s death in a Russian detention center

At the end of July, it became known that a prisoner of war, Ukrainian defender Oleksandr Ishchenko, who served as a driver in the Azov regiment and was captured by Russia in Mariupol in 2022, died in a detention center in Rostov.

The death of the Ukrainian was announced during a hearing in the Southern District Military Court of the Russian Federation, where the case of Ishchenko and 23 other prisoners associated with Azov was considered.

Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, said that the Russian side had not officially notified Ukraine of the death of the defender or the cause of death.

Ukraine's Ombudsman has sent an urgent letter to the Russian Ombudsman requesting an investigation into the death of prisoner of war Oleksandr Ishchenko. The letter demands information on the circumstances and cause of his death.

Later, the press service of the Azov Regiment confirmed the information about the death of Oleksandr Ishchenko to Suspilne. According to a copy of the death certificate issued in Russia, the date of death of the defender was July 22, 2024. The medical death certificate issued on July 25 reads: "The cause of death has not been established due to putrefactive changes in the organs and tissues of the corpse."

"Information about the death of Azov fighter Oleksandr Ishchenko in Russian captivity has been confirmed. This death is yet another act of atrocity by the Russian Federation against Azov prisoners of war. The occupying country has once again confirmed that it does not reckon with any principles of morality, disregards all possible conventions on the conduct of hostilities and the treatment of prisoners of war. While the 12th Azov Brigade replenishes its exchange fund with Russian prisoners and complies with all the rules of their detention, Russia tortures and kills our fighters every day," the Azov Regiment's press service said.