“The scene of our last meeting arises in my mind. I escorted Oleksandr to the airport. My husband and I had never parted for more than two days before, and here we were not to see each other for five. And I had this weird feeling that something bad could happen. But I drove him away, explaining this excitement to myself by saying that there was a five-day separation ahead. But it appeared that I had that bad feeling for a reason.” In 2018, Ukrainian citizen Oleksandr Marchenko went to Donetsk to return his car, which he left at the service station in 2014 but was unable to retrieve it due to the beginning of Russian aggression. On December 17, 2018, on the way home, Marchenko was detained by pro-Russian “DPR” militants.
For two months, Oleksandr Marchenko was held in the “DPR MSS” Detention Center, and later he was taken to the Ukrainian-Russian border and handed over to the Russian FSB. He was kept in the deportation center of the Krasnodar Territory for another two and a half months. The criminal case against Marchenko was not initiated until April 30, 2019.
He is accused of “preparing for the illegal movement of military products, military equipment, and spare parts to it, committed by a foreign national, across the customs border” and “espionage.” Marchenko faces up to 20 years in prison.
“When he was arrested in the “DPR,” he was taken to the basement and tortured with electricity and strung up there. After the torture, they were told to write a testimony, otherwise, they would be tortured again and again. They then threatened that his mother would be detained along with him. And when he was transported to Russia, the FSB officers threatened to take him back to the “DPR” if he did not write everything they wanted from him,” says Kateryna Marchenko.
Now the preliminary investigation is over, and the first court hearings in the case have already taken place. Court sessions are being held behind closed doors. Mrs. Marchenko says that Oleksandr`s health has significantly deteriorated. “He developed lymphatic lumps. One side of his body has become numb. He has trouble sleeping and has developed heart issues,” she said.
“If there is the slightest chance that your signature will bring our family closer to reunification, I ask you to include it at the bottom of this petition. I wholeheartedly ask for help to return the husband back to his wife, the son to his mother, and the father to his children,” Kateryna Marchenko addresses all those concerned.
