The story of coach Oleksandr Malovany from the Kyiv region.

Anastasia Guseva from the Kyiv region has been searching for her husband, Oleksandr Malovany, for over two years. He disappeared in March 2022 during the occupation of the Vyshhorod district and is still being held captive by Russia. The couple lived in a cottage in the village of Rykhta. Oleksandr is a children's coach and ran his own business with his wife. At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the family sewed balaclavas and thermal socks, which they gave to the military.

On 13 March 2022, the man went to a ‘tower’ near his home to send photos and messages to the territory controlled by Ukraine. It was there that he was intercepted by the Russian military. A few days earlier, the occupiers had already conducted searches, rounded up men, and checked their phones. They broke Oleksandr's fingers, forcing him to give them his password. His phone contained information about the movements of the occupiers, which he had collected for the Ukrainian side. After his arrest, Oleksandr was initially held in the village of Dymer, and later transferred to Gostomel. Witnesses said that during their retreat from the Kyiv region, the Russians took prisoners with them, using them as ‘human shields.’

His trail then leads to Novozybkov in the Bryansk region of the Russian Federation, and then to a colony in the village of Pakino in the Vladimir region. No official charges or sentence have been brought against him. Although Oleksandr is a civilian, he is listed as a prisoner of war in Russian documents. His last known place of detention was confirmed in 2025.

Anastasia has appealed to the police, the Coordination Headquarters, and international organisations. She continues to fight for her husband's release and believes that he will return home.

The documentation of war crimes is carried out with the financial support of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee (NHC). The views and conclusions expressed in this publication are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the NHC. Photo provided by Anastasia Guseva. The association systematically documents war crimes, works to free civilians and supports their families.

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