Serhii Korzh is a political prisoner

An employee of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant abducted in occupied Enerhodar was sentenced to 13 years in prison on espionage charges

Ukrainian citizen Serhii Korzh worked as an engineer at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. In early September 2022, he was abducted by Russian security forces in occupied Enerhodar and held in custody for a prolonged period without any legal or procedural status. His twin brother, Oleksandr Korzh, was similarly detained in Moscow’s Lefortovo pre-trial detention centre and was released only two years later.

It was not until January 2024 that Serhii Korzh was formally charged with espionage. According to the prosecution, he had passed information about the locations of Russian National Guard personnel and equipment to an officer of the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence. The occupation-controlled Zaporizhzhia Regional Court sentenced Korzh to 13 years’ imprisonment in a strict-regime penal colony.

We have serious doubts about his guilt. The very fact that the charges were brought almost a year and a half after his abduction suggests that the security services initially lacked sufficient evidence against him. His abduction, prolonged detention without legal status, and prosecution before a Russian court despite being a resident of occupied territory all violate the provisions of international humanitarian law. It should also be noted that, even if Serhii Korzh had committed the acts alleged, the root cause of those actions was Russia’s war of aggression.

Serhii Korzh’s story is only one of at least fifteen cases involving employees of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant who were seized by Russian security forces. One employee died under torture, another was shot dead, and the others have faced criminal prosecution. There is evidence that many of the detained employees of the plant were subjected to torture.

A detailed description of Serhii Korzh’s case and of our position is available on our website.

How can you help?

You can write to Anhelina Skyba at the following address:

RU:

413724, Саратовская область, г. Пугачёв, Карьер МВД, ФКУ ИК-4 УФСИН России по Саратовской области, Корж Сергей Владимирович, 1976 г. р.

EN:

Serhii Volodymyrovych Korzh (born 1976)
Penal Colony No. 4, Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia for Saratov Oblast,
Quarry of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Pugachyov, Saratov Oblast, 413724, Russia

You can also send emails via ZT (for payment with all bank cards) and Memorial-France (free of charge).

Please note that letters in languages other than Russian are highly unlikely to reach the intended recipient.

You can donate to help all political prisoners in Russia.