Vitalii Trofymchuk is a political prisoner
A 19-year-old disabled resident of the occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast was sentenced to 5.5 years in prison for Telegram comments
Vitalii Trofymchuk is an orphan with a lifelong disability caused by congenital HIV. He lost his parents at an early age and was raised by his grandmother and uncle.
When Russian forces occupied his native village of Velyka Bilozerka in February 2022, Vitalii was only 15 years old. After the occupation began, he was forced to obtain Russian citizenship, but was unable to re-register his disability pension. He worked part-time at a local shop, earning between 2,000 and 4,000 rubles per month.
Trofymchuk was most likely arrested in August 2025. Criminal charges were brought against him over two comments. In October 2024, in the Telegram channel Enerhodar Today, beneath a discussion of Ukraine’s victory plan, he wrote: ‘Plan 2: burn down or blow up all of Russia.‘ Investigators treated this as a public call for terrorism. The second episode dates to April 2025, when, in a small chat under a photograph of teenagers holding a Russian flag, he left a one-word comment: ‘Execute.‘ This was classified as a public call for extremism.
Trofymchuk explained that his comments were an emotional reaction to the war and to living under occupation. According to him, reports of the fighting and the suffering of civilians had a profound effect on him.
On 13 January 2026, the Southern District Military Court sentenced Vitalii Trofymchuk to 5.5 years in a general-regime penal colony.
We believe that the statements which formed the basis of the criminal case were emotional and rhetorical in nature and posed no real danger to society. Moreover, prosecuting a Ukrainian citizen on occupied territory under Russian law violates international humanitarian law.
A prison sentence for two brief comments is, in itself, cruel and outrageous for a young man who has had to grow up under occupation and during wartime. For Trofymchuk, who suffers from a serious medical condition, imprisonment is particularly dangerous, as detention in a Russian penal colony may cause irreparable harm to his health.
A detailed description of Vitalii Trofimchuk’s case and of our position is available on our website.
How can you help?
You can write to Vitalii Trofimchuk at the following address:
Ru:
283086, г. Донецк, ул. Кобозева, д. 4, ФКУ СИЗО-1 ГУФСИН России по Донецкой народной республике, Трофимчук Виталий Игоревич, 2006 г. р.
En:
Pre-Trial Detention Centre No. 1, Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia for the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, 4 Kobozeva St., Donetsk, 283086, Trofymchuk Vitalii Ihorovych, born 2006.
Please note that we respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity. However, for letters to reach prisoners held in the occupied territories, the address must be written according to the Russian postal format.
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Please note that letters in languages other than Russian are highly unlikely to reach the intended recipient.
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