Iryna lived in Melitopol and worked as a journalist before the full-scale invasion. After the city was occupied, she remained in the temporarily occupied territory and continued her civic work.

The last contact with Iryna and her husband, Oleksandr, was on May 5, 2023. In the first days, the family did not become alarmed right away – under occupation, mobile service often disappeared, and the couple might have gone outside the city or been without access to the network. But within a few days, it became clear that something bad had happened.

On May 6, 2023, according to witnesses, Iryna and Oleksandr were detained by Russian military personnel right on the street. Later, according to Iryna’s husband, it became known that she was stopped first because she had been taking photos of something. After their phones were checked, they were taken to the building of an occupation authority in Melitopol and held separately.

Only a few weeks later did the family receive the first confirmation that Iryna and Oleksandr were alive. It was a short handwritten note that had been smuggled out. In it, they wrote about accusations of “terrorism” and the expectation of a “trial.” Over the next 18 months, Iryna and Oleksandr were held in Melitopol, constantly being moved from one place of detention to another.

Later, Iryna was transferred to Pre-Trial Detention Center No. 1 in Donetsk region, and afterwards to Mariupol and then to Simferopol or Sevastopol. Contact with her has been maintained only through volunteers who pass along short handwritten notes. Despite the announced “trials,” no official sentence has been handed down to her to this day, and the lawyer appointed by the occupation side has not provided Iryna with the legal assistance she needs.

The family appealed to Ukrainian authorities, the Coordination Headquarters, the National Information Bureau, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and other human rights bodies. Her relatives are convinced that the reason for the persecution was Iryna’s journalistic work and her attempts to document events in occupied Melitopol. The Association systematically documents war crimes, works for the release of civilians, and supports their families.

‍