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Ukrainian Mayor Yevhen Matviyev Tortured and Killed in Russian-Occupied Dniprorudne
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Yevhen Matviyev, mayor of the temporarily occupied city of Dniprorudne in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, has died from injuries sustained under torture, Ukrainian officials confirmed on October 15.
Ukraine’s human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets said that the Office of the Prosecutor General verified that Matviyev suffered multiple injuries while in captivity.
“This is not just a human rights violation—it is a war crime and a crime against humanity, carried out deliberately and cynically,” Lubinets said. “Damage to the lungs and multiple fractures do not occur on their own. This treatment of civilians, the torture inflicted on them, is a disregard for all norms of international humanitarian law and the very essence of humanity.”
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Lubinets noted he had sent appeals to the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross, stressing the need for a global response.
“Russia is violating the Geneva Conventions and illegally detaining Ukrainian civilians. Their rights are being violated, they are kept in harsh conditions, and they are tortured,” he added. “We already have multiple confirmed reports of deaths among Ukrainians unlawfully detained in Russian custody. The international community must respond clearly to such total disregard for humanitarian law.”
Lubinets also called for increased pressure on Russia to return Ukrainian citizens from captivity while they are still alive:
“We must push Russia to release our citizens from Russian captivity while they are still alive.”
Matviyev, born on December 8, 1960, studied mechanical engineering at Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute and held managerial positions at local industrial enterprises before entering politics.
He was first elected mayor of Dniprorudne in 2006, serving until 2015, and was re-elected in 2020.
Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Matviyev stayed in the city, coordinating municipal services and supporting local defense efforts.
On March 13, 2022, he was reportedly abducted by Russian forces while responding to the detention of workers from the Zaporizhzhia Iron Ore Combine.
Previously, it was reported that 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.
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