A 71-year-old Ukrainian man, Viktor Demchenko, tragically passed away while in custody at a Russian prison. He was awaiting trial for charges of espionage, participation in a terrorist group, and the illegal possession of weapons and ammunition. The case against Demchenko was closed by the Russian state, as revealed in court documents found by human rights group Memorial.
According to Russian officials, Demchenko's cause of death was a stroke, which occurred several days prior to his passing on December 31. However, it remains unclear why the news of his death took so long to become public. Born in the town of Mospino in Ukraine's Donetsk region, Demchenko had been on trial in Rostov-on-Don, a southern city in Russia, since August 2023. Throughout the duration of the trial, which consisted of seven closed-door hearings, details regarding the proceedings were scarce.
