Oleksandr Chyrkov

Entrepreneur. Hlibivka, Kyiv region

On March 16, 2022, during the occupation of Hlibovka, Kyiv region, Russian troops began to visit residents, checking for cars and weapons. On the morning of March 17, an armoured personnel carrier and another military vehicle with a gunner drove up to Oleksandr Chirkov’s house. There were about 20 soldiers in total. Five entered the house, immediately asked about weapons, confiscated the ones Oleksandr had, and ordered him to come with them. During the first three weeks of the occupation, Oleksandr and his friend had tried to maintain order in Hlibivka, which lacked means of communication and electricity. Initially, Oleksandr was held together with other prisoners on the territory of the VKNALAND plant, then was transferred to the Russian Federation. Oleksandr has apparently been transferred between five detention centers in Russia and Crimea. His last known place of detention as of October 28, 2022 was the Kursk Detention Center.