Russian troops began storming the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant at the end of the day on 3 March 2022 and captured the nuclear facility early in the morning on 4 March 2022. This is reported in the report ‘In a nuclear prison: how Rosatom turned Europe's largest nuclear power plant into a torture chamber and how the world can stop it’ by the Ukrainian NGO Truth Hounds. According to their data, from the very beginning of the joint occupation of Enerhodar and the ZNPP by the Russian military and Rosatom, the Russian occupation forces launched a systematic, large-scale campaign of abductions, torture and killings of ZNPP personnel and residents of Enerhodar.
“Witnesses provided Truth Hounds with clear, unambiguous descriptions of torture and other crimes, including but not limited to the following: aggravated assaults and severe beatings, suffocation, electric shock torture, forcing victims to dig their own graves, mock executions, threats of rape against victims and their relatives, and holding detainees in overcrowded cells without food, water, or fresh air," the report states.
Some of these people are still in captivity. Some of them have already received ‘sentences’ in Russian prisons. However, none of them have returned home as part of exchanges.
According to the Enerhodar City Council, as of September 2025, there is information about 32 civilian prisoners from Enerhodar, 15 of whom are employees of the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant.
‘We cannot speak openly about another 15 civilians from Enerhodar, including five women, due to the presence of relatives of the prisoners in the temporarily occupied territories and other important reasons,’ the city council said.
Below we publish the stories of ten nuclear power plant workers, which were provided to us by the press service of the Enerhodar City Council.
Brazhnyk Oleksiy Petrovych
Born on 18 September 1971, he was a physical protection systems engineer at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant. He devoted more than 30 years of his life to working at this strategic facility.
On 21 September 2022, Oleksiy was abducted by Russian military personnel without any legal justification — simply from his workplace. He was held in a detention centre in the city of Enerhodar until 10 February 2023.
After that, he was transferred to the so-called ‘grey zone’ — a semi-secret place of detention, where he was held together with other ZNPP employees who had been abducted at different times: Olena Yahupova and Roman Matviychenko.
Later, a video appeared in the media in which Oleksiy allegedly voluntarily agreed to be ‘deported’ from the occupied territory. After the publication of this video, there has been no contact with Oleksiy. He did not return to the territory controlled by Ukraine, and his whereabouts remain unknown. His family and human rights activists still have no confirmed information about his fate.
Korzh Serhiy Volodymyrovych
Born on 17 July 1976, he was an engineer responsible for the repair and maintenance of electrical equipment at the power plant of the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) branch.
On 4 September 2022, twin brothers Serhiy and Oleksandr were travelling from the village of Novovodyane to the village of Novoukrayinka in the Kamyanko-Dniprovskyy district of the Zaporizhzhya Region. During this trip, they were stopped for a document check and detained without explanation. At first, the brothers were held at the police station in the city of Enerhodar for a month, after which they disappeared without a trace. It was only in September 2023 that information emerged that Serhiy and Oleksandr were being held in Simferopol Pre-Trial Detention Centre No. 2. This information was confirmed in January 2024 by individuals who had also been detained and held in this detention centre.
While in Simferopol Pre-Trial Detention Centre No. 2, Serhiy had limited contact with the outside world. His wife, an employee of the Labour and Social Protection Department of the Enerhodar City Council, was able to correspond with him periodically through the Zonatelecom service and send him parcels. However, in February 2025, Sergey was transferred to Detention Centre No. 1 in Moscow, known as Matrosskaya Tishina. This transfer made communication and support from his family even more difficult.
On 11 October 2024, the occupation ‘court’ sentenced Serhiy under Article 276 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (‘espionage’), sentencing him to 13 years' imprisonment in a strict regime colony.
Serhiy's twin brother, Oleksandr, was detained twice. He spent 2.5 years in illegal detention. Oleksandr was released in early March 2025 on the condition that he leave the territory of the Russian Federation within 10 days.
Lavryk Ruslan Yuriyovych
Born on 24 August 1970, he was an engineer on duty at the radio and television station of the Department of Dispatching and Process Control Systems of the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant.
On 7 June 2024, Ruslan was detained by armed representatives of the occupying authorities. After his detention, he was taken home, where a search was conducted. The official reason for his detention was announced as a violation of curfew.
He was initially held in the town of Vesele in the Vasylivskyy district, and later transferred to a pre-trial detention centre in Melitopol. There were up to 20 people in the overcrowded cell. The prisoners were kept in complete isolation, without the right to correspond or communicate with the outside world. For a long time, Ruslan's family had no news about him. Only thanks to an informal agreement with one of the guards was it possible to send him parcels and receive letters. In February 2025, Ruslan was transferred to Detention Center 2 in Mariupol. It was from there that he was able to contact his family for the first time via the Zonatelecom app.
During his detention, his physical condition deteriorated sharply. After torture — beatings to the head, the use of electric shocks — serious complications arose: chronic hypertension, heart problems, severe headaches. After one of these severe attacks, an ambulance had to be called. The doctor who arrived gave him an injection and an IV, emphasising the need for urgent hospitalisation. However, hospitalisation was refused. Ruslan's lawyer's request was also ignored.
Ruslan's wife was also forcibly interrogated. She had a lawyer with whom she had signed a contract, but the process took place under intense psychological pressure. While reviewing the case materials, she learned that her husband's charges were based on allegations of ‘anti-state propaganda’ and the transfer of funds to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The petition regarding Ruslan's critical health condition was left without consideration. Formally, they allowed a private doctor to be brought to the pre-trial detention centre, but the family does not have such an opportunity.
At the end of April 2025, Ruslan was again severely beaten. He suffered a concussion. According to him, the abuse continues constantly: physical violence alternates with moral humiliation. Back in 2024, during torture, all his fillings were knocked out and his front teeth were damaged, some of which he lost. The food is of extremely poor quality and the drinking water is unfit for consumption, causing Ruslan to suffer from chronic stomach pains. An infection has developed: pus is flowing from his right ear. The medicines that his wife sends him almost never reach him — they are either not accepted or confiscated by the guards.
The trial is ongoing. The prosecutor insists on the maximum sentence — 25 years in prison.
Matviychenko Roman Mykolayovych
Born on 22 January 1977, Roman was an electrician at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant.
On 12 January 2023, Roman was abducted by Russian military personnel without explanation — simply from his workplace on the territory of the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant. He was forcibly taken away at gunpoint as part of a large-scale campaign of pressure on ZNPP employees.
For almost a month, Roman was illegally detained in the premises of the former police station in the city of Enerhodar. This place is known among locals as an unofficial torture chamber, where civilians are kept in complete isolation from the outside world. Other illegally detained persons were also held there, including Olena Yahupova and Oleksiy Brazhnyk.
Later, a video appeared online showing Roman allegedly being deported from the territory that the occupiers consider theirs. This video has all the hallmarks of a staged recording designed to conceal the facts of his enforced disappearance. After its release, Roman disappeared — neither his relatives, colleagues, nor human rights activists have any reliable information about his fate.
Matyukhin Oleksandr Yuriyovych
Born on 7 August 1980. Former contract soldier, ATO veteran. From May 2021, he worked as a repair mechanic in the energy repair department of the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant.
On 24 February 2022, in the early hours of the full-scale invasion, Oleksandr was called up to military unit 3042 to guard the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant. Together with his comrades and local residents, he tried to stop the enemy and prevent them from entering the territory of the strategic facility.
After the occupation of Enerhodar and the ZNPP, Oleksandr tried three times to leave for territory controlled by Ukraine. However, due to his participation in the ATO, these attempts were unsuccessful — his surname was on the lists at Russian checkpoints. Forced to remain in the city, he returned to work at the nuclear power plant.
On 12 March 2023, he was abducted near his home in Enerhodar. A neighbour witnessed four armed Russian soldiers taking Oleksandr away, putting him in a black minibus with the letter ‘Z’ on it and driving him away in an unknown direction. He was charged with ‘espionage’.
Over the next few days, Russian security forces filmed a staged video of Alexander's alleged ‘arrest’ at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant checkpoint, trying to make their actions look legit. The video was shared online.
Until 6 May 2023, he was held in Enerhodar, and then moved to Melitopol. For several months, his whereabouts remained unknown. In November 2023, information emerged that Alexander was being held in Moscow's Lefortovo Detention Centre No. 2, and later in Simferopol.
On 18 September 2024, an occupation court sentenced Oleksandr Matyukhin to 13 years in prison under Article 276 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (‘espionage’). As of July 2025, he is being held in Penal Colony No. 10 in the Saratov Region.
Under Russian captivity, his health has significantly deteriorated — he has developed kidney problems and severe back pain. During his imprisonment, he has lost more than 20 kilograms of weight.
Morochkovskyy Oleh Oleksandrovych
Born on 27 August 1992, he was an employee of the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant.
On 3 August 2022, Oleh was detained by Russian military personnel at a checkpoint at the entrance to Enerhodar. After checking his documents, they arrested him and confiscated his car. After that, all contact with him was lost. For a long time, his family had no information about his whereabouts or condition.
It was only in January 2025 that it became known that Oleh had been convicted. The family did not receive any official notifications and did not participate in any court proceedings. Oleh was found guilty on trumped-up charges of ‘espionage’ and ‘terrorism’ and sentenced to 11 years in a strict regime colony. He is being held in the city of Pugachev (Saratov Region, Russian Federation).
In February 2025, Oleh's mother received a letter from him written in Ukrainian, in which he described the harsh living conditions: lack of personal belongings, poor nutrition, and asked her to send him clothes and food. He described his difficult mental state and expressed a strong desire to return home.
In April 2025, it became known that another resident of Enerhodar, an employee of the Zaporizhzhya Thermal Power Plant named Andriy, sentenced to 11 years, was being held with Oleh. In May, another Enerhodar resident, Serhiy Korzh, sentenced to 13 years in prison, joined them.
In early April 2025, the family managed to send Oleh a parcel with food and essential items for the first time, which was a significant source of support for him. Despite this, his psychological state remains difficult. In his letters, he continues to ask for help.
Potynh Serhiy Heorhiyovych
Born on 18 April 1992. He worked as a health and safety engineer in the thermal automation and measurement workshop (TAMW) at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant.
After the occupation of Enerhodar, he did not leave his fellow citizens alone in their misfortune: together with volunteers, he helped those who found themselves in a humanitarian disaster to survive. During the acute food shortage, he received humanitarian aid shipments sent from the free territory of Ukraine and helped distribute them among lonely people, bedridden patients, and families with children under three years of age. Thanks to his participation, hundreds of families in Enerhodar and neighbouring villages were able to receive baby food, nappies for infants and bedridden adults during the first six months, which were the most difficult under the occupation. Due to his active work, Serhiy repeatedly received warnings from the occupying authorities, but he did not stop helping people and did not recognise the new occupation regime.
On 23 June 2023, Serhiy was abducted by Russian military personnel. There are witnesses who saw him at the police station, where he was tortured and physically abused.
For a long time, no official charges were brought against him. It was only in October 2024 that the Russian Prosecutor General's Office charged Serhiy with participating in a ‘terrorist community’ and ‘attempting to commit a terrorist act.’ He was accused of collecting and transmitting information about Russian security forces' vehicles to the Ukrainian Security Service, as well as attempting to blow up the car of one of the representatives of the occupying structures.
The court sentenced him to 18 years in prison, the first three years of which were to be served in prison and the rest in a strict regime colony, and a fine of 700,000 roubles (approximately 210,000 hryvnias).
Until 19 November 2024, Serhiy was held in Mariupol Pre-Trial Detention Centre No. 2. He was then transferred to Rostov-on-Don. The conditions of detention were appalling: a damp basement room designed for eight people, in which 29 prisoners were held. Due to the lack of space, people were forced to sleep in shifts. The food was extremely poor. Serhiy has serious health problems — knee joints and chronic pancreatitis. In June 2025, it became known that Serhiy had been transferred to the city of Novocherkask.
Spartesnyy Serhiy Leonidovych
Born on 19 September 1961, he was the shift supervisor of the turbine department of the energy division of the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant.
On 18 July 2023, Russian military personnel broke into his apartment and forcibly took him away to an unknown location. It later became known that Serhiy was charged under Article 276 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation for alleged ‘espionage.’ On 19 September 2024, the so-called ‘court’ sentenced him to 12 years in a strict regime colony.
He is currently being held in Penal Colony No. 10 in Saratov (Russian Federation), where he works in a sewing workshop making work clothes.
The conditions of his detention, the lack of adequate medical care and chronic illnesses — in particular, heart disease and a stomach ulcer — have significantly worsened his health. During a telephone conversation in April 2025, Serhiy reported a sharp deterioration in his health and a lack of medication and necessary care.
Trachuk Vadym Viktorovych
Born on 10 February 1984, he worked as a driver in the transport department of the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant.
On 16 April 2023, officers of the Russian Federal Security Service broke into the apartment where Vadym lived with his wife, children and mother-in-law. He was detained in front of his family. Initially, he was held in police stations in Enerhodar and Melitopol, and later transferred to the Mariupol Pre-Trial Detention Centre No. 2.
In June 2025, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced Vadym Trachuk to 25 years in prison and a fine of 700,000 Russian rubles.
Vadym is currently being held in isolation in Taganrog. Visits to him are strictly prohibited. Despite having a state-appointed lawyer, he was not allowed to participate in court hearings, which calls into question the observance of basic rights to defence and fair trial.
Shulha Nataliya Yevheniyivna
Born on 31 August 1968, she worked as an engineer in the thermal automation and measurement department at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant.
Nataliya remained in occupied Enerhodar after the full-scale invasion began, continuing to work at a critical nuclear infrastructure facility for the sake of public safety.
On 12 June 2024, Russian soldiers broke into her apartment and forcibly took Nataliya away. At first, she was held in the village of Yakymivka in the Zaporizhzhya Region. Her husband managed to send her parcels with food and other items twice. She was later transferred to Pre-trial Detention Centre No. 2 in Donetsk. In September, Nataliya Shulha was transferred to a penal colony in Kostroma.
Despite prolonged isolation, in December 2024, the family received a letter from Nataliya dated August. The letter made it clear that she was being held in difficult conditions, with limited access to communication and any outside support.
On 5 March 2025, a so-called ‘court’ sentenced Nataliya to 15 years in prison. She was accused of collaborating with Ukrainian special services and allegedly attempting to blow up a power line. Pro-Russian media circulated a staged video that was supposed to serve as evidence — the recording allegedly showed Nataliya planting explosives. However, the nature of the video and the circumstances surrounding it indicate that the charges were fabricated.
