Journalists identify Crimea detention center staff accused of torturing Ukrainians
The Kyiv Independent has identified two staff members of pretrial detention center No. 2 in Simferopol, Crimea, accused of systematically abusing detained Ukrainians. Former prisoners describe regular beatings, electric shocks and inhumane conditions.
Investigative journalists from The Kyiv Independent's war crimes unit have identified two employees of the regime and surveillance department at pretrial detention center No. 2 in Simferopol, a facility Russia opened in occupied Crimea after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. According to the journalists, the facility holds, among others, civilian Ukrainians from occupied areas of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions as well as Crimea.
The two identified individuals are Leonid Kovekh, head of the regime and surveillance department, and his deputy as of 2023, Zhanat Akhmetov. Both are featured in the documentary investigation "Regime Crimea."
The accused
Akhmetov is a Russian citizen from Omsk in western Siberia who moved to Crimea after its occupation. Before detention center No. 2 opened, he worked at pretrial detention center No. 1 in Simferopol. Former detainees say he stood out for particular cruelty, regularly beating prisoners and knowing precisely where to strike to inflict maximum pain.
Kovekh is a Ukrainian and senior lieutenant in Russia's internal service who switched sides after the occupation, having also previously worked at detention center No. 1. Former prisoners say beatings and torture at the facility occurred under his supervision and control, with some also alleging he personally took part in torturing detainees.
Conditions of detention
Former inmates describe detention center No. 2 as an institution with harsh conditions and constant guard control. Detainees were reportedly held for extended periods without contact with the outside world or access to lawyers, and were forbidden from communicating with one another. They were only allowed to move through corridors in a so-called "swallow pose" — bent forward with hands raised high behind the back.
Prisoners were taken to wash once a week for about five minutes, and those who did not finish in time could be forced to run back to their cells naked, according to accounts. Former detainees also described regular use of electric shocks, dogs used for intimidation, lack of toilet paper and adequate medical care, and lights that were never turned off in cells, even at night. Detainees were reportedly forced to learn and sing Russia's national anthem.
In August, a representative of a Crimean Tatar resource center reported that after two months of work, 12 people held in secret cells at the Simferopol facility had been identified. Since the full-scale invasion, Russia has opened two new pretrial detention centers in occupied Crimea — No. 2 and No. 8 — officially able to hold up to 370 people, though the actual number detained is unknown. Russia reportedly plans to build another facility on the peninsula with 1,500 places by 2030.
