Lawyer: The Russian Defence Ministry confirms journalist Khyliuk's presence in Russia

The Russian Ministry of Defence has confirmed the detention in Russia of Ukrainian journalist Dmytro Khyliuk, who was abducted by the Russian military in the spring of 2022.

This was reported on Hromadske Radio by Dmytro Khyliuk’s lawyer, Oksana Mykhalevych.

«The Russian Ministry of Defence has confirmed that Ukrainian journalist Dmytro Khyliuk is in Russia. His father received such a letter, he appealed to the Russian Ministry of Defence and not only there, but received a meaningful response from the Russian Ministry of Defence. The letter states that Khyliuk is on the territory of the Russian Federation and, in accordance with Article 3 of the Geneva Convention, all news about him should be transmitted through the Red Cross Committee. The Third Geneva Convention pertains to the treatment of prisoners of war; however, this letter does not explicitly declare him as such, but rather refers to the convention, thereby acknowledging him as a prisoner of war», – explained Mykhalevych.

According to the lawyer, it’s difficult to predict what might aid in the process of his release, given the unpredictability of the Russian Federation.

«We appealed to the ECHR back in May 2022, but it did not yield any result. Reporters Without Borders are investigating his abduction and detention. The international journalistic community is aware of this case», – said Mykhalevych.

Dmytro Khyliuk, a journalist with the UNIAN news agency, went missing in March 2022 in the Russian-occupied Kyiv region, in his native village of Kozarovychi.

In August 2022, Khyliuk’s parents received a letter from him dated April 14 through the International Committee of the Red Cross. The envelope bore the stamp of the «Russian Post», and the letter itself contained one sentence: «My dear mum and dad, I am alive, healthy and doing well«.

Dmytro Lubinets, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, stated that he was personally monitoring Khyliuk’s release from Russian captivity. By the end of May 2023, the police of the Kyiv region transferred the case of Khyliuk’s abduction by Russians to the SBU Main Directorate.

In July 2023, Reporters Without Borders learned that Dmytro was alive and being held in SIZO No. 2 in Novozybkov, Bryansk Oblast, Russia, and is now incarcerated in a prison in Vladimir Oblast.

In February 2024, Reporters Without Borders issued a statement demanding that the Russian authorities provide evidence of Ukrainian journalist Dmytro Khyliuk’s wellbeing.