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“They Were Brutally Tortured and Killed”: Russia Executed Two 16-Year-Old Boys in Occupied Melitopol
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Two 16-year-old boys from occupied Melitopol, Danylo Dakhov and Pavlo Hrymak, were tortured to death in Russian captivity after being accused of “terrorism” by occupation authorities.
This was reported by Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Maryana Betsa during a debate ahead of the UN General Assembly on September 4, according to Suspilne Zaporizhzhia. Previously, the information was not disclosed for security reasons.
According to sources cited by Suspilne Zaporizhzhia on October 14, both teenagers were active members of their community, participated in volunteer and patriotic events, and dreamed of pursuing higher education.
“They were ordinary young men. They took part in local excursions across Zaporizhzhia region, cleaned forests, planted trees, and attended memorial and national events,” the source said.
The boys were reportedly detained by Russian forces in August 2023, although Russian police later released a propaganda video in December the same year claiming they had arrested members of “Black Sabotage” group of Melitopol minors allegedly connected to Ukraine’s Security Service.
Another video published by Russian forces in March 2024 showed Danylo and Pavlo and stated that they would be put on trial. After that, all contact with them ceased. In May, Russian officials informed their parents that the boys had allegedly died while “carrying out partisan activities,” claiming they had been killed by a self-made explosive device. However, sources told Suspilne that both teenagers were tortured to death in April 2024.
“The official Russian version says they died in an explosion, but that’s absurd — they were brutally tortured and killed in captivity,” one source said. Russian authorities later asked the parents to provide DNA samples to identify the remains, but the bodies were never returned. “Only enough remains were found for one DNA test. The rest simply ‘disappeared.’ There has been no burial because the bodies were never handed over,” the source cited by Suspilne Zaporizhzhia.
One of the sources stated that the execution served as further evidence of Russia’s status as a terrorist state, emphasizing that its goal is to eradicate all things Ukrainian and connected to the nation. The source urged that this must never be forgotten—nor should anyone yield to such aggression.
Earlier, it was reported that since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, 618 children have been confirmed killed and at least 1,884 wounded.
The actual toll is likely higher, the agency noted, as data from territories still under Russian occupation or experiencing ongoing fighting remains incomplete.
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