Lefortovo Prison
Moscow
Russia
Pre-Trial Detention Centre
Active
Overview
Lefortovo is one of Russia’s most notorious detention centres, operated by the FSB in Moscow. After being taken captive from Azovstal and spending several days in Olenivka, a group of Azov officers was transferred there. They were not informed of their destination, and only later realised they were being held in Lefortovo.
Torture & Abuse
While physical violence was not systematic in Lefortovo itself, prisoners were kept in total silence, a lack of human contact, and a denial of any sensory or temporal orientation. Azov’s then-chief of staff, Bohdan “Tavr” Krotevych, described his cell door never opening again after the initial interrogations, not even for a single walk for around four months. At the same time, Krotevych said that other POWs were tortured in Lefortovo prison.
Food & Sanitation
Food was passed silently through a small metal window in the cell door. The cold was extreme in May and September, with no heating or adequate clothing provided. Washing was limited to a basic sink in full view of surveillance cameras. No showers were available. Hygiene products were minimal.
Psychological Pressure
Detainees were held in total isolation, with no communication between prisoners and no interaction with guards beyond basic commands. Interrogations involved psychological manipulation, such as claims that fellow Ukrainian soldiers were betraying Azov.
Lefortovo is one of Russia’s most notorious detention centres, operated by the FSB in Moscow. After being taken captive from Azovstal and spending several days in Olenivka, a group of Azov officers was transferred there. They were not informed of their destination, and only later realised they were being held in Lefortovo.
While physical violence was not systematic in Lefortovo itself, prisoners were kept in total silence, a lack of human contact, and a denial of any sensory or temporal orientation. Azov’s then-chief of staff, Bohdan “Tavr” Krotevych, described his cell door never opening again after the initial interrogations, not even for a single walk for around four months. At the same time, Krotevych said that other POWs were tortured in Lefortovo prison.
Food was passed silently through a small metal window in the cell door. The cold was extreme in May and September, with no heating or adequate clothing provided. Washing was limited to a basic sink in full view of surveillance cameras. No showers were available. Hygiene products were minimal.
Detainees were held in total isolation, with no communication between prisoners and no interaction with guards beyond basic commands. Interrogations involved psychological manipulation, such as claims that fellow Ukrainian soldiers were betraying Azov.
News
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POW exchange: 500 servicemen and two civilians returned to Ukraine under agreements reached in Geneva
On 5-6 March 2026, a two-day exchange of prisoners of war took place between Ukraine and Russia. On the first day, 200 military personnel returned to Ukraine, and on the second day, another 300. Separately, two civilians were also returned. The exchange was made possible by agreements reached in Geneva with the mediation of the United States.
Illegal sentences for Azov POWs: two Russian judges were notified of suspicion of a war crime
The Office of the Prosecutor General has notified two judges of the Southern District Military Court of the Russian Federation that they are suspected of committing a war crime – violating the right of prisoners of war to a fair and proper trial (Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
A Show Trial System: Russia Mass-Sentences Ukrainian POWs on Fabricated Charges
“I asked what crime I had committed, what evidence you have.” The answer was brief: “You were in Azov.” Show trials, torture-induced confessions, and fabricated charges constitute a systemic violation of international humanitarian law by Russia. Ukrainians in captivity are forced to endure this process, receiving sentences of 15, 25 years, or even life imprisonment.
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