Ukrainian blogger and RFE/RL contributor Stanislav Aseyev has been held incommunicado by Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine since June 2017, in connection with his reporting on the conflict in the region.
International rights groups have expressed concern about his whereabouts, and that he has been subject to threats and possibly torture during his detention. In a statement issued in August, the U.S. Congressional Freedom of the Press Caucus described Aseyev as "one of the few independent journalists to remain in the region under separatist control to provide objective reporting." U.S. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch has honored his work and called for his immediate release.
The linked documents below are English-language translations of excerpts from "In Isolation: Posts From Donbas," a collection of Aseyev’s unique reports (in Ukrainian and Russian) from the conflict zone between January 2015 and May 2017, which RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service published earlier this year. Aseyev is a curious, insightful and ironic witness, writing in his native Donetsk about wartime culture, the education and militarization of youth, economic survival, profiteering, and propaganda.
It is RFE/RL’s hope that even this small sampling of Aseyev’s work will bring his courage and astonishing talent to the attention of English-speaking audiences, and win support for his freedom.
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I. Who Makes Up The Ranks Of The ‘DPR’ Militants, And What Are They Fighting For (January 25, 2015)
II. Youth Of The ‘DPR’ And ‘LNR’ Forced To Live With Hazy Future (March 1, 2015)
III. Which Residents Are Prospering In Occupied Donbas? (July 6, 2015)
IV. My Experiences Participating In The ‘Primary Elections’ Under Separatist Occupation (October 3, 2016)
V. Cultural Life In The Occupied City Of Donetsk (October 7, 2016)
VI. ‘DPR’ Militants Prepare Children For Illegal Military Formations (January 10, 2017)