Kharkiv language school director dies in pre-trial detention in occupied Crimea
Oleksandra Kazarovytska, co-founder of the Professional language school in Kharkiv, died in Russian custody in Simferopol, where occupation authorities claim she took her own life.
By Isabella Kaur ·
A co-founder and Director of Studies of a language school in Kharkiv has died in a pre-trial detention centre in Russian-occupied Simferopol, her colleagues have announced.
The Professional language school confirmed the death of Oleksandra Kazarovytska, also known by the surname Kolesnikova, in a statement on Facebook. "It is with deep sorrow that we announce the death of Oleksandra Kazarovytska (Kolesnikova), Director of Studies and co-founder of the Professional school. Russia killed her. Sasha was an incredibly kind and talented person. A true teacher and mentor, she never stopped developing herself and genuinely celebrated every student's achievements," the school wrote.
The Russian occupation authorities claim that Kazarovytska killed herself. She was pronounced dead on 25 October and was buried in Sevastopol on 4 November, one day before the school made its announcement.
According to her colleagues, Kazarovytska was the daughter of a serviceman and spent her childhood travelling across the Soviet Union with her parents. When her father retired, he settled in an apartment in Sevastopol. She herself lived nearly all of her adult life in Kharkiv, the city where her grandmother resided.
After Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the family decided to relocate the elderly parents to Türkiye on a permanent basis, where Kazarovytska and her husband would be able to care for them. In the summer of 2026, she travelled to occupied Crimea for no more than a month to help her relatives sell their property and finalise the move.
Russian security forces detained the woman in Sevastopol. "They found her correspondence with a volunteer dating back to the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Then three months in solitary confinement. Waiting for trial. And then 'she took her own life'," her colleagues wrote in their account of the case.
Kazarovytska is survived by her husband Oleksii and her daughter Alisa. The occupation authorities have not disclosed the specific criminal charge that was brought against her.
Her death adds to a growing toll of Ukrainian civilians and prisoners dying in Russian custody. According to the United Nations, at least 438 Ukrainians have died in Russian captivity, while the torture and ill-treatment of prisoners are systematic and have become part of the Kremlin's state policy. The case was also reported by the Russian independent outlet Vazhnye Istorii (Important Stories) and the human rights organisation Memorial.
