It is over two and a half years since Iryna Levchenko and her husband, Oleksandr, were abducted by the Russians from occupied Melitopol. Oleksandr Levchenko was released over a year later, while Iryna remains in captivity, with her family forced to search for ‘crumbs’ of information.
In a recent interview to the ZMINA Human Rights Centre, Iryna Shevchenko’s sister Olena expressed frustration at the lack of action by the Red Cross. It is, in fact, the International Committee of the Red Cross [ICRC] which has a mandate under the Geneva Conventions to visit prisoners of war and others imprisoned on occupied territory. ICRC is supposed to oversee compliance with international law by parties to a ‘conflict’, especially treatment of prisoners of war – finding and helping them have contact with their families. ICRC has not only not visited Iryna Shevchenko but actually approached the imprisoned journalist’s family to find out if they had any information about her. The same frustration has been expressed by former POWs or civilian hostages, released in prisoner exchanges or by the families of people still imprisoned, who say that they never saw Red Cross representatives.
While it is almost certainly Russia that is blocking visits, ICRC could be more vocal about Russia’s failure to allow it to carry out its mandated role in accordance with international conventions to which Russia is a party.
Iryna Levchenko, who was born on 16 September 1961, has been in Russian captivity since 6 May 2023. It appears that she has been accused of ‘terrorism’, although what, if anything, she is specifically accused of remains unclear. There seems every reason to assume that she has been targeted as a journalist, as have been at least six other Melitopol journalists and Telegram administrators.
Iryna had worked as a journalist for different Melitopol newspapers, and as correspondent for different regional and national media for 41 years. She had, however, retired two years before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and only occasionally worked in her profession. She was also involved in various civic initiatives, and clearly identified strongly as a Ukrainian, with that alone placing her in danger under Russian occupation. Her sister explained earlier that she had tried to persuade Iryna and Oleksandr to leave with them. The couple both had medical issues, and had chosen to remain, assuming that, because they were retired, they would be safe.
It was a fatal mistake, although what triggered the couple’s abduction remains unclear. Olena has noted that her sister loved photography and that it may have been some photograph, or other, that the Russians found on her telephone and decided was ‘suspicious’.
More detail may only be learned when Iryna Shevchenko is finally released. She remains imprisoned in SIZO No. 1 in Donetsk, though she wrote a few months ago that she might be moved to occupied Crimea. Although she has a ‘lawyer’ provided by her captors, it is only really through volunteers that Iryna’s family receive any brief letters and can try to pass on essential items and money.
As reported, Iryna and Oleksandr Levchenko were seized on 6 May 2023, although it took a little time for the family to discover, from witnesses, that they had been seized on the street and taken away. Officially, the Russians have never confirmed seizing the couple.
Oleksandr was released in August 2024, having been held for over 14 months in the makeshift prison / torture chambers that the Russian invaders set up in Melitopol. He was handed a document claiming that he had been jailed for 21 days for ‘infringing curfew”. He had only seen his wife once and from a distance.
Iryna was initially held prisoner in Melitopol, and it is not clear when she was moved to occupied Donetsk. The renowned Memorial Support for Political Prisoners Project has added her to their list of likely victims of political persecution, but have no further information.
See also:
Anastasia Hlukhovska
Yana Suvorova
Russia sentences youngest abducted journalist to 14 years for Melitopol is Ukraine Telegram channel
Vladyslav Hershon
Heorhy Levchenko
Mark Kaliush
