Ukrainian journalist Yesypenko released from occupier prison

Ukrainian journalist Vladislav Yesipenko has been released after more than four years of Russian imprisonment and has left temporarily occupied Crimea, Radio Liberty reports.

Yesypenko was released on June 20, but the media outlet only reported the news on Sunday evening. Radio Liberty thanked the governments of the United States and Ukraine for their efforts to return the journalist home.

"For more than four years, Vlad was arbitrarily punished for a crime he did not commit. He paid too high a price for exposing the truth about what was happening in Russian-occupied Crimea. For this, he was tortured, both physically and psychologically. As we celebrate his joyful reunion with his wife Kateryna and their young daughter Stefania, we cannot ignore the pain that the Russian authorities have inflicted on this family," said RFE/RL President and Director General Steven Kapus.

Yesypenko is a freelance journalist for the Crimea.Realities project of Radio Liberty's Ukrainian service. He has covered social and environmental issues, filmed street interviews, and reported on life on the occupied peninsula.

In March 2021, the media personality was detained by officers of the Russian Federal Security Service, accusing him of allegedly collecting information "in the interests of Ukrainian special services" and storing an "improvised explosive device" in his car.

For 27 days, independent lawyers were not allowed to see the man, while the occupiers' TV channel "Krym24" published an interview with Yesypenko, in which he confirmed that he worked for the RS project.

In 2022, the "court" of the invaders sentenced the journalist to five years in prison and a fine of 110,000 rubles (currently ~58,800 UAH). The Russian prosecutor's office demanded 11 years in prison for the media worker. Yesipenko himself said during the trial that he had been tortured by Russian security forces, including with electric shock, to extract confessions.

While in captivity, Yesipenko became the winner of several prestigious awards, and also received the Levko Lukyanenko state scholarship, which is awarded to Ukrainian political prisoners.

• In April 2025, the Prosecutor General's Office reported that a forensic medical examination found signs of torture and ill-treatment on the body of journalist Viktoria Roshchina, who died in Russian captivity.