At a checkpoint on the road to Belgorod, Russian soldiers were checking documents. The Lynkov family — the parents and the younger son — were allowed through. The elder son, Denys, was held back for checks until midnight, and then turned back. The family is convinced this was because of his earlier service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Denys returned to the occupied village of Velyki Prokhody in the Kharkiv region, 10 kilometres from the Russian border. Two days later, they came for him.

On 20 March 2022, a black car with no number plates pulled up at the house where Denys was staying alone. Neighbours saw him being put into the vehicle and driven away. In more than three years, the Russian side has never brought any charges against Denys. The only "official" reply the family has received consists of several letters from the Russian Ministry of Defence, sent from St Petersburg between March and September 2022. The letters stated that Denys "resisted the 'SMO." There is nothing behind that wording: no article of the Criminal Code, no court ruling, not even a formal notification of suspicion.

His mother has been gathering information about her son piece by piece — through civilians released from captivity and witnesses who knew where he was being held. In 2022 and early 2023, Denys was held in Kursk; in the autumn of 2023, he was transferred to Vyazma. As of 3 January 2024, he was still there. Since then, his whereabouts have been unknown. Over this time, Denys has developed bronchial asthma, his leg veins have ruptured, he has lost a significant amount of weight, and he suffers from severe headaches. ICRC representatives are not allowed access to him.

Every two weeks, his mother sends him a letter. No answers come. The family has appealed to the Coordination Headquarters, the National Information Bureau, the ICRC, and the police. The most recent letter from the Coordination Headquarters arrived in the autumn of 2024. Since then — nothing.

In Ukraine, Denys has the status of a person deprived of personal liberty as a result of armed aggression. He has been in Russian captivity for four years and two months.

The documentation of war crimes is funded by the European Endowment for Democracy (EED). Its content does not necessarily reflect the official position of EED. The information and views set out in this publication are the sole responsibility of the NGO Association of Relatives of Political Prisoners of the Kremlin.

The Association systematically documents war crimes, works for the release of civilians, and supports their families.