Thousands of Ukrainian Civilians Are Still Held by Russia With Uncertain Hope of Release

When she heard her front door open almost two years ago, Kostiantyn Zinovkin's mother thought her son had returned home because he forgot something. Instead, men in balaclavas burst into the apartment in Melitopol, a southern Ukrainian city occupied by Russian forces.

- AGENCIES

They said Zinovkin was detained for a minor infraction and would be released soon. They used his key to enter, said his wife, Liusiena (photo), and searched the flat so thoroughly that they tore it apart "into molecules."

But Zinovkin wasn't released. Weeks after his May 2023 arrest, the Russians told his mother he was plotting a terrorist attack. He's now standing trial on charges his family calls absurd.