The Crimean Human Rights Group (CHRG) has identified six individuals involved in the unlawful detention, prosecution, and conviction of Henichesk-based journalist Hennadiy Osmak. These include representatives of Russian occupation courts, prosecutor’s offices, and a judge of a court in Russia, the CHRG reported, citing their own Crimean Cases database.
Human rights activists identified the following persons as involved in Osmak’s persecution:
- Kyrylo Sievastianov, staff member at the Russia-installed “Henichesk District Court” in Kherson oblast;
- Oleksiy Pushnoi, staff member at the Russia-installed “Novotroitske Inter-District Court” in Kherson oblast;
- Nikolai Riabov, judge at Russia’s Second Cassation Court of General Jurisdiction in Moscow;
- K.S. Hrishyn, staff member at the Russia-installed “prosecutor’s office”;
- Maria Kireeva, staff member at the Russia-installed “Kherson Oblast Prosecutor’s Office”;
- I.S. Hlazunov, staff member at a Russia-installed “prosecutor’s office.”
Who is Hennadiy Osmak
Hennadiy Osmak used to be the chief editor for the news outlet Novyi Vizit, based in Henishesk, Kherson oblast. The city was occupied by Russian forces on 24 February 2022.
On 12 March 2022, Hennadiy reported that the publication had ceased operations. There had been no contact with Osmak since then.
The website was inactive for some time, but started posting news about the work of local occupation authorities in late March 2022 and announced the appointment of the Russian-installed “acting Mayor” of Henichesk, Andrei Klochko. The website was shut down two weeks later and has not been operational since then.
Про затримання Геннадія Осьмака російські пропагандистські медіа заявили в березні 2024 року.
Russian pro-state media reported in March 2024 that Hennadiy Osmak had been detained.
According to the Crimean Tatar Resource Center, the Russian forces sentenced Hennadiy Osmak to 3 years and 2 months in prison under Article 208 Part 2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation for alleged involvement in the “Noman Çelebicihan Battalion” as a member and the battalion’s “PR manager.”
The Russian forces stalked Osmak before detaining him. Hennadiy Osmak had been working as a taxi driver since the start of the full-scale invasion, trying to lay low.
In December 2025, a Russian cassation court refused to cut back Hennadiy Osmak’s prison term, upholding the previous ruling by an occupation court, which sentenced the Ukrainian journalist to high security prison.
Hennadiy Osmak is on the Institute of Mass Information’s list of journalists imprisoned by Russia.