Russia Jailed Her Husband In Occupied Ukraine. Then Natalya Swung Into Action

Thousands of Ukrainian civilians are in Russian custody, some enduring torture—and there is no legal process for freeing them

Joseph Sywenkyj

Natalya Barchuk edged nervously toward the prison in the Russian-occupied city of Kalanchak in southern Ukraine clutching a parcel of food and a bag of fresh clothes.

She’d been told her husband might be inside, one of thousands of civilians detained in an opaque prison system on occupied territory under the ultimate control of the Russian security service. Guards accepted the care packages but wouldn’t tell her whether her Oleksiy was there.