1,327 Days and Counting: Families Plead for Return of OSCE Staff Detained in Russian-Controlled Areas

Families, Colleagues Demand Action as Three OSCE Workers Remain Detained

Families of three Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) staff detained after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine say the men face trumped-up charges including treason and espionage. Two have been deported to Siberian penal colonies, one has been hospitalised, and relatives warn their health is deteriorating as they mark 1,327 days since the first arrest.

Who They Are

Dmytro Shabanov, Maxim Petrov and Vadym Golda served on the OSCE monitoring mission to Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions that began in 2014 after hostilities broke out between Kyiv and pro-Russian separatists. The mission withdrew after the 2022 invasion, but local staff — including these three — remained behind.

Arrests, Trials and Sentences

The three men were arrested shortly after Moscow's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Shabanov (a security assistant) and Petrov (a translator) were handed 13-year sentences in September 2022 after closed-door trials overseen by authorities in the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic. In July 2024 a court in the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic sentenced Golda, another security assistant, to 14 years on charges of “espionage.” Prosecutors alleged he gathered data on industrial facilities that were later struck by missiles.

"The waiting, not knowing, the endless hope slowly turning into quiet despair — it is a kind of suffering no family should endure," said Margaryta Shabanova, wife of Dmytro Shabanov, marking the passage of 1,327 days since his arrest on April 15, 2022.

Where They Are Now

Relatives and their lawyer say the men are being held in harsh, isolating conditions and that their health is declining. Shabanov was deported to a penal colony in Omsk, Siberia, in March this year. Petrov was deported to Chelyabinsk, Siberia, at the end of July 2025 and was recently hospitalised. Golda remains serving his sentence after his 2024 conviction.

Calls for Release and International Response

The OSCE has repeatedly described the detentions as illegal and demanded the men's return, stressing that they were performing official duties under a mandate agreed by all 57 participating states. "Our colleagues remain OSCE staff members and had been performing official duties as mandated by all 57 participating states," OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid said.

Moscow has defended the prosecutions. Russia's permanent representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, accused the OSCE monitoring mission of "illegal actions," alleging some staff passed intelligence to Kyiv, and said the matter was closed. The Russian foreign ministry did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment.

Lawyer Eugenia Kapalkina, representing relatives, called for "urgent and decisive action," urging that the men's release be made a condition of any ceasefire or peace agreement. Golda's son, Egor Golda, urged Ukraine, Western states and the OSCE to press for either a release or an exchange, even if it requires negotiations with Russia.

Why It Matters

The case raises broader concerns about the safety and legal protections of local staff who work for international missions in conflict zones. Lawyers and relatives warn the convictions set a dangerous precedent, suggesting that locally engaged staff may no longer be shielded even when serving under an official international mandate.

An OSCE staff member, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that despite the organisation's efforts, "the OSCE employees ... are not home." The OSCE insists securing their release is an "absolute priority" and says it is working tirelessly to bring them back to their families as soon as possible.

Reporting by AFP; translated and edited for clarity.