1,327 days: Loved ones long for OSCE employees held in Russia

Accused of crimes such as treason and espionage, some of the detained OSCE employees have been sent to harsh Siberian penal colonies, where their health is rapidly deteriorating. Their families continue to endure an agonizing wait. Despite Moscow's claim that the issue is resolved, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) insists that three of its workers arrested in Russian-controlled Ukraine in 2022 are being held on false charges and demands their release.

Dmytro Shabanov, Maxim Petrov, and Vadym Golda were part of an OSCE mission deployed to Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions in 2014, following the onset of conflict between Kyiv and pro-Russian separatists.

These individuals were arrested shortly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and sentenced by courts in the self-proclaimed separatist regions to long prison terms. Margaryta Shabanova, wife of Dmytro Shabanov, shared her heartache with AFP: "The waiting, not knowing, the endless hope slowly turning into quiet despairthis is a kind of suffering no family should face." As of April 15, 2022, when her husband was arrested, 1,327 days have passed, and Margaryta traveled to Vienna this week to remind OSCE delegates that her husband and his colleagues are still imprisoned.

However, this year's OSCE ministerial meeting is receiving less attention, with neither Russia nor the United States sending top-level diplomats, reducing the focus on the issue.

Founded in 1975 during the Cold War to ease tensions between East and West, the OSCE includes 57 member states, ranging from Turkey to Mongolia, and includes the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, Ukraine, and Russia. After Russia's invasion, the OSCE mission withdrew, and Moscow subsequently blocked the renewal of its mandate at the organization. Nevertheless, the local staff, including Shabanov, Petrov, and Golda, remained behind.

In September 2022, Shabanov (a security assistant) and Petrov (a translator) were sentenced to 13 years in prison by a court in the self-declared Luhansk People's Republic on charges of treason. In July 2024, Golda, another security assistant, was sentenced to 14 years in a penal colony for "espionage" by a court in the Donetsk People's Republic. Prosecutors accused Golda of "carrying out reconnaissance activities on behalf of foreign intelligence" and gathering information on industrial facilities that were later targeted in missile strikes.

The OSCE has repeatedly condemned the men's detention as "illegal." OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid emphasized, "Our colleagues remain OSCE staff members and were carrying out official duties mandated by all 57 participating states."

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not responded to AFP's request for comment. Russia's UN representative, Vasily Nebenzya, accused the OSCE monitoring mission of "illegal activities," claiming some personnel had passed intelligence to Kyiv. "They faced Russian justice on serious criminal charges... and this matter is closed," he stated last year.

Egor Golda, the son of Vadym Golda, told AFP, "Ukraine, the West, and the OSCE must all play a part in securing his release or negotiating an exchange with Russia."

Lawyer Eugenia Kapalkina, who traveled to Vienna with Margaryta Shabanova and represents the families of Petrov, warned that the men's health is deteriorating under severe isolation. Shabanov, now 38, was transferred to a penal colony in Omsk, Siberia, in March 2025. Petrov, now 45, was sent to Chelyabinsk in Siberia in July 2025 and was recently hospitalized. Kapalkina has called for "urgent and decisive action," stating that the release of the three men should be a condition for any ceasefire or peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. She also emphasized that their prolonged detention sets a dangerous precedent for those working with international organizations, as they are no longer protected, even under official mandates.

An OSCE employee, speaking anonymously, remarked, "No matter what actions the organization has taken, these employees are still not home." The OSCE has reaffirmed that securing the men's release remains an "absolute priority." A spokesperson for the organization assured AFP, "We are working tirelessly to ensure they can return to their families as soon as possible."