Killed in captivity: Russians tortured teenagers to death in Melitopol, accusing them of terrorism

Temporarily occupied Melitopol continues to fight for its Ukrainian future. And now, two and a half years after the capture of the city, the underground plays a key role in this.

Detention and prosecution

In December 2023, the occupation police of Melitopol reported that they had detained a subversive group that called itself “Black Sabotage”. These were local minors whom the Russians suspected of collaborating with the SBU. It was reported that the detainees received Russian passports as early as 2022 and seemed to take an active pro-Russian position, while passing on information to Ukrainian special services.

The pseudo-law enforcement officers accused the teenagers of attempting to attack officials and undermining the railway line. In addition, the Russians suspected the minors of having given the location coordinates of the hotel and restaurant complex “Hunter’s Rest” to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

In June 2022, members of this group monitored one of the leaders of a Russian public organization, who later became a deputy of the regional Legislative Assembly. Having received the necessary data about the routine and routes of movement of their victim, the attackers, following the instructions of their curators, made a homemade explosive device, which they intended to plant near the entrance to the entrance, Russian propaganda wrote at the time.

The Russians enrolled two more local residents in the subversive group, who, according to their version, died as a result of the involuntary detonation of an unidentified improvised explosive device. As for the detainees, a criminal case was initiated against them based on the characteristics of the crimes provided for in Part 2 of Article 223.1, Part 3 of Art. 222.1, Part 1 of Art. 30, part 2 of Art. 205, Art. 317 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Tortured underground

Only in August 2024 did it become known that the prisoners were tortured to death.

At the beginning of the “great” war, they were 16 years old.

In August 2023, the boys were captured by the Russians. On December 21, the Russians published information about their detention.

On March 10, 2024, information appeared again that the boys were alive and in captivity. The Russians claimed that they would be tried for terrorism in Russia.

In the spring of 2024, the boys’ parents were asked to take a DNA test and then sent positive results, saying they had blown themselves up four months earlier with an improvised explosive device. But later, after all, other information was received: Russian Russians tortured Ukrainian teenagers in captivity.

It is still impossible to confirm this information in the occupation.