Former Ukrainian Police Officer Convicted of Kidnap and Torture

Oksana Matsopa

Contributor

Wednesday, 19 March, 2025

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A former Ukrainian police officer has been sentenced to 12 years in prison in absentia for ordering the kidnap and torture of residents of a village in the Kherson region.

The Velyka Oleksandrivka district court found that 40-year-old Serhii Yevarlak, originally from Mariupol, in 2022 gave orders to Russian soldiers to kidnap and torture people in the village of Lazurne, Skadovsk district, in the Kherson region.

According to the investigation, the former police officer voluntarily became the deputy de facto commandant and head of the so-called garrison of Russian occupation forces in the Lazurne community in spring 2022. Russian forces were stationed at the seized Chaika (Seagull) recreation centre, which they transformed into a site of torture.

Yevarlak ordered soldiers to kidnap people, participated in illegal searches of homes and oversaw torture and interrogations.

One of the victims testified in court that on the morning of April 6, 2022, Russians kidnapped him from his home in Lazurne. They forced a pillowcase over his head, beat him and, after tying his hands, threw him into the back of a military vehicle.

In the basement of the recreation centre, the victim was again beaten. One of the Russian soldiers attempted to cut off his ear and insert a rifle cleaning rod into it. 

According to the man, Yevarlak played a key role in detaining and coordinating actions against prisoners. He was referred to as “the overseer”. 

The victim described the defendant as "a short man of lean build, he had a beard, short dark hair and distinctive facial features”.

The victim stated that he had heard about him prior to his own detention. Local residents knew the accused as someone with local authority who was involved in persecution and intimidation.

That same evening, Yevarlak removed the victim’s handcuffs and ordered him to leave the premises without explanation. The victim later fled the occupied area.

The victim’s wife also testified in court, recounting how on April 6, 2022, armed Russian soldiers broke into her house and held her and her husband at gunpoint. 

Yevarlak, whom she later identified from a photo, was directing their actions. When she questioned him, he did not explain why they were being detained but ordered the soldiers to stop beating her husband. The soldiers then forced him to the floor, handcuffed him behind his back, kicked him in the torso and pulled a pillowcase over his head.

“The witness concluded that he was likely from Ukraine because he spoke Russian with a distinct Ukrainian accent and mentioned having relatives in Berdiansk,” the court verdict stated.

The witness said that, later that evening, her husband was driven home by a local resident. He had sustained multiple injuries, including broken ribs, stab wounds to the thigh and an injured ear. She testified that the accused had played a key role in her husband’s detention and coordinated soldiers’ actions. 

The woman also stated she had seen photos of the accused in publications by Ukraine's Security Service, identifying him as a representative of the occupying authorities. The woman recounted that following this incident, she and her husband hid for a long time and ultimately fled to Ukrainian-controlled territory.

Another victim testified that Russian forces had raided his home in Lazurne in late July 2022. He identified Yevarlak among them. This victim was interrogated about the location of Molotov cocktails and knives.

“The victim confessed to making Molotov cocktails in his garage and burying them in his garden,” the court records reported. “After a search that yielded nothing, a bag was forced over his head, his arms were twisted behind his back and he was thrown into a car. He was then forced to his knees and struck twice in the head. He was taken to an unknown location and led into a basement. 

“There, military personnel began beating him with their hands and feet, targeting his torso, head and back. One of the soldiers choked him three times by tightening the bag around his head.”

The man lost consciousness, and when he came to his senses was led out of the room and ordered to walk straight ahead without looking back. The victim told the court that the accused personally ordered his detention and torture. He stated that the accused was present during the interrogations but did not physically assault him, instead directing other soldiers to beat and choke him. The victims also identified the accused from photos. 

Investigators determined that Yevarlak held Ukrainian and Russian citizenship. They established his phone number, traced to the Kherson region, and his social media profile.

On February 26, the Velyka Oleksandrivka district court delivered its verdict, finding Yevarlak guilty of a war crime under Article 438, Part 1 of Ukraine’s criminal code concerning the violation of the laws and customs of war. Yevarlak’s defence has 30 days to appeal.