Luhansk resident convicted of service in the Aidar battalion dies in penal colony

Ibrahim Kudzhanov, a 52-year-old resident of Ukraine’s Luhansk Oblast who had been sentenced to five and a half years’ imprisonment for serving in the Aidar battalion, has died in a Russian penal colony. The Civilians in Captivity (Tsyvilni v poloni) project reported the death.

His daughter Hanna learned of her father’s death from doctors by telephone. The family subsequently attended an identification procedure and received documents confirming his death. According to the family, he died following a second heart attack. He had also suffered from an aneurysm, and his kidneys failed after his condition deteriorated sharply.

Ibrahim Kudzhanov had previously survived one heart attack. According to the most recent available information, he was serving his sentence at Penal Colony No. 8 in Omsk Oblast.

Ibrahim Kudzhanov lived in the village of Bahachka in Ukraine’s Luhansk Oblast. Between 2018 and 2019, he served in the Aidar battalion. As his daughter told the Shadows Behind Bars project, he served as a driver, transporting supplies and repairing vehicles. After leaving military service, he continued to work as a driver and carry out vehicle repairs in a civilian capacity.

In October 2022, Russian security forces detained Kudzhanov’s 19-year-old son, Artem. His parents had to remain in the occupied territory in order to support their son, who was being held in custody in Luhansk. In 2025, the young man was sentenced to twelve years on espionage charges. He remains in Russian detention.

Ibrahim Kudzhanov himself was arrested on 6 February 2024. For a time, father and son were held simultaneously in the Luhansk remand prison and could hear each other’s names called out during roll calls. According to Hanna Kudzhanova, her father was tortured with electric shocks and lost consciousness three times. In May 2024, he was released subject to travel restrictions owing to a serious deterioration in his health. Russian security forces told him that if he fled, his son would suffer the consequences.

On 16 October 2024, Ibrahim Kudzhanov was convicted on charges of participation in a terrorist community — the designation Russia applies to the Aidar battalion. He was taken back into custody.