The former commander of “Isolation”, a prison created by Russian hybrid forces in Donetsk, “Palych”, was detained in the free territory of Ukraine in November 2021. Today he testifies, confirms his involvement in the prison and says that he has been in Kyiv since 2019. Radio Liberty and the Bellingcat community have collected data on his life over the past two years: what the suspect was doing to the hostages of war, according to intelligence officials who have detained the prisoner now, and why Kulikovsky may be safer in the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) detention center than in the Kremlin’s reach. ? The material also shows exclusive footage of the prison from the air and a video of its former commandant, probably already in the free territory of the country.
Stanislav Aseev, journalist and author of the book “Light Way”. The Story of a Concentration Camp ”took part in the preparation of the story and commented on its content on its Facebook page:
“To your attention – a joint project of Radio Liberty and Bellingcat on Isolation and its main war criminal Palich.
In the material you will see:
- unique shots of Palych’s stay in one of Kyiv’s apartments;
- fresh video of Insulation from the air;
- you will learn how Palych “celebrated” his birthday in Isolation, and what was done with the prisoners on that day.
But before that I would like to thank the security forces.
First, the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
90% of the information on the Isolation administration was gathered thanks to the incredible work of the Interior Ministry staff, whose names I have no right to name, but who really deserve the applause and gratitude of the whole country. So guys, thank you.
Secondly, the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine.
A year and a half ago, Ruslan Demchenko convened a meeting in his office, to which he invited the heads and heads of all law enforcement agencies and special services of the country (except the Interior Ministry). I was the last to be invited to the office, after which I presented these people with a brief report and action plan on Isolation. Unfortunately, that day I saw in front of me mostly businessmen – and Kirill Budanov. The only person who cared about what I said and the only one who approached me after the meeting and offered help. So this time, too, at my request, he ordered an aerial photograph of the concentration camp for our investigation. And now you can see Isolation from the military intelligence drone, so to speak, in real time – December 1 this year.
Finally, the SSU.
Everyone understands how difficult Palych’s stay in Kyiv is for the Service. But despite this, the leadership of the secret service still provided Radio Svoboda with an official answer to our questions. In short, the Service’s response is as follows: yes, a top-secret special operation was conducted in Palych in 2019, which was known to a limited number of people. His free stay in Kyiv is currently under internal investigation, including the interrogation of Palych himself on this issue. The Service assures that they will provide further information as soon as possible. “
Everything else is in the material:
