Ivan
Zabavsky

Ivan Zabavsky was captured by Russian forces on September 30, 2022, while attempting to rescue his mother, Maryna, on a bicycle. Just five days earlier, Maryna’s sister had been killed by shrapnel during heavy shelling in the Kupyansk district, Kharkiv region.

She lay dying for two hours near her house before Maryna buried her in the garden and fled through Russian territory. Unaware of this, Ivan set out to find his mother, but Russian troops took him on the way.

Maryna spent months searching for her son, even returning to occupied territory and traveling to Belgorod, Russia. Ivan is currently detained in St. Petersburg, falsely accused of espionage.