Journalist Vladyslav Yesypenko released from Russian prison in Crimea

Vladyslav Yesypenko, journalist with the RFE/RL project Krym.Realii, was released on June 20 and left occupied Crimea, having spent over four years in a Russian prison, Radio Liberty reports.

The broadcaster welcomed Vladyslav’s release and thanked the governments of the USA and Ukraine for their efforts to bring him home.

RFE/RL President and Chief Executive Officer Steve Capus stressed that Yesypenko had been tortured in Russian custody: “For more than four years, Vlad was arbitrarily punished for a crime he did not commit. He paid too high of a price for reporting the truth about what was taking place inside Russia-occupied Crimea. For that, he was tortured, physically and psychologically. While we celebrate his joyous reunion with his wife Kateryna, and their young daughter Stefania, we cannot overlook this family’s pain at the hands of Russian authorities.

"Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty expresses our deep gratitude to the governments of the United States and Ukraine for working with us to prevent Vlad’s continued unjust imprisonment. We also thank the global community of press freedom defenders for their tireless advocacy on behalf of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s dedicated journalists,” he said.

Vladyslav Yesypenko's case

On March 10, 2021, Russia's FSB detained "Radio Liberty" freelancer journalist Vladyslav Yesypenko in the occupied Crimea. Yesypenko took part in a demonstration dedicated to Taras Shevchenko's birth anniversary, which took place in Simferopol on March 9. Vladyslav Yesypenko was charged with gathering information "in the interests of Ukraine's special services," including the Foreign Intelligence Service. According to the FSB, Yesypenko "had been performing photo and video recording of the area, welfare facilities, and places of mass gatherings of people in the Crimea."

Vladyslav Yesypenko has said that FSB investigators had tortured him in order to coerce him into confessing.

On February 16, the Russian-controlled Simferopol District Court sentenced Krym.Realii freelancer Vladyslav Yesypenko to six years in penal colony for alleged illegal storage and transportation of an explosive device.

Speaking in court on February 15, Yesypenko said the case was politically motivated.