Vladimir Makarenko

Vladimir is a sniper who served in the Ukrainian Aidar Battalion. He was captured in the spring of 2022 and held in the occupied territory of Ukraine’s Donetsk region. He was initially charged under several articles of the Criminal Code of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR). After the Russian Federation declared the DPR part of its territory, the charges were reclassified under the Russian Criminal Code: Makarenko was accused of participating in the activities of a terrorist organisation, the violent seizure of power, and undergoing training for the purpose of carrying out terrorist activity. Human rights defenders note that he is a prisoner of war and therefore should not have been criminally prosecuted essentially for taking part in hostilities; moreover, they regard the charges as absurd. On 17 October 2025, Makarenko was sentenced to 18 years imprisonment in a strict-regime penal colony.

On the same day, a case was filed with the court against Makarenko and two other convicts, alleging preparation of a terrorist attack in the pre-trial detention centre in Rostov-on-Don.

You can read more about politically persecuted people in the Telegram channel OVD-Info LIVE and our database of politically motivated criminal prosecutions.