Tester Iryna Gorobtsova is currently being transferred to a Moscow pre-trial detention center, where her appeal will be considered; her family has completely lost contact with her.
Tester Iryna Gorobtsova is currently being transferred to a Moscow pre-trial detention center, where her appeal will be considered; her family has completely lost contact with her.
DOU has published a continuation of the story of the captivity of Ukrainian DataArt tester and activist Iryna Gorobtsova. The woman was detained by the Russians on trumped-up charges, alleging that she was a corrections officer for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. On July 15, 2024, Iryna was illegally sentenced to 10.5 years in a maximum-security colony.
After the woman's arrest, all contact with her disappeared, and only with the help of law enforcement agencies was it possible to find out that she was in custody in Simferopol. Gorobtsova was illegally held for two years, until she was "bragged" to sign a guilty plea for allegedly illegally crossing the border. Since then, a criminal case has been opened against the woman, and she has been able to communicate with the outside world at least somehow.
In February of this year, Iryna Gorobtsova wrote a letter to the Ukrainian authorities calling for the return of all civilian Ukrainian women held in Russian captivity. The letter was forwarded to DOU by Iryna’s colleague and close friend, Kateryna Zolotukhina.
To the President of Ukraine - Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
To the Head of the Intelligence Directorate
Ministry of Defense of Ukraine
To the Minister of Reintegration of Ukraine
To the Commissioner for Human Rights in Ukraine
I, Irina Volodymyrivna Gorobtsova, born on May 13, 1985, have been in Russian captivity since May 13, 2022. Today I take responsibility and publicly appeal to my Motherland on behalf of the captured Ukrainian women. At one time, each of us readily responded to a request for help from our country, which is why we ended up in custody in the Russian Federation. Now we ourselves need help. That is why I am appealing to the persons authorized by the Ukrainian people to protect the interests of every citizen of our state. We beg to conduct a civil exchange and add to it all citizens of Ukraine who are in Russian captivity. This is our SOS signal, and we want to be heard, because we have waited too long for the opportunity to pay attention to us and our plight. Free Ukrainian women and return them home! Ukraine, my dear, help, save us!
Your faithful daughters
In her letters, Iryna recounted horrific atrocities against other Ukrainian women abducted by Russia, some of whom are now dead. Tetyana Mudrenko was brutally raped and murdered in Skadovsk, Kherson region. Tetyana Plachkova was tortured to death in Melitopol. After being brutally treated by the Russians, Natalya Rybalchenko committed suicide by hanging in the pre-trial detention center in the village of Pryazovsk, Zaporizhia region.
Irina Gorobtsova suffers from a brain aneurysm, but Russian doctors refuse to diagnose her and "treat" her with analgin. Due to lack of sleep and nervous overstrain, Irina suffers from severe migraines. Her relatives tried to send the necessary medicines by parcel, but due to the lack of a prescription, they did not reach the prisoner. Once Irina had a severe pain in her heart, but none of the prison staff responded to the woman's calls for help, Irina was saved by her cellmate.
When Iryna filed an appeal to make the case public, the period of her transfer to Moscow began, where the appeal was supposed to be heard on March 12 of this year. However, the hearing was postponed to March 31. The family and loved ones now do not know what happened to Ms. Iryna. "We already had an established process when we could finally send letters to Iryna, deliver parcels. But now everything has stopped. We do not know how long the transfer will last - there is absolute uncertainty," said Kateryna.
Iryna's parents hope that their daughter will be returned to Simferopol to restore contact.
As of March 6, 2025, the International Committee of the Red Cross has still not confirmed the illegal detention of Irina Gorobtsova in Russia. This is despite the fact that the Russian side has published a video from the trial and announced a court hearing regarding her. ICRC representatives explain that Russia does not provide them with any information and does not allow access to the accused or convicted. They do not take into account official documents that relatives have, as well as the FSB's responses, since they only consider the results of their own inquiries to the Russian authorities.
Human rights activists, although they criticize the activities of organizations such as the ICRC and the UN, still emphasize the importance of addressing them.
As of December 2024, more than 16,000 Ukrainian civilians are currently held in Russian captivity. Of these, only 168 have been released. Among them is Ivan Kozlov, an IT activist who was sentenced to 11 years in prison.
