Alexander Demidenko, a Russian man who helped hundreds of Ukrainians in Russia return home when the war began in 2022, has died in pre-trial detention, according to his lawyer.
The activist died on April 5, according to Demidenko’s lawyer, Yelena Palimova. The attorney told Mediazona that she was not informed about his death until Monday, at which point she notified his family.
The news follows multiple reports of his death from Russian outlets and a popular Telegram channel earlier on Monday, which cited anonymous sources. The confirmation from his lawyer came only hours after she told another Russian outlet that she was unaware her client had died.
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Chechen National Guardsmen reportedly detained Demidenko in October, after he was caught helping Ukrainians cross the border back to Ukraine at the Kolotilovka checkpoint. After detaining him, authorities brought him to his home for a search, where his wife reported bruises all over his body. Telegram channel “Mozhem Obyyasnit” later published photos of his injuries.
Demidenko reportedly served 10 days and was briefly released. During that time, he allegedly received a phone call warning him that “if you try to leave the country, it will be worse,” his son told Novaya Gazeta, adding that the incident left his father feeling depressed and suicidal at the time.
Eventually, FSB officers took Demidenko back into custody to a pre-trial detention center. He was reportedly charged with unlawful possession of weapons after authorities found a hand grenade in his home, according to 7x7. Demidenko’s son has previously claimed that it’s possible authorities may have framed him with the grenade.
His death comes just weeks after opposition leader Alexei Navalny died in an Arctic prison in February.
President Joe Biden has blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for Navalny’s death, which came four years after Moscow had attempted to kill him via poisoning. Navalny’s widow, Yulia Navalnaya, has also blamed his death on Putin.
“The main thing that we can do for Alexei and ourselves is to keep fighting,” Yulia said in a video released shortly after her husband’s death. “We all need to get together in one strong fist and strike that mad regime.”
