Oleh Kotov (Russian: Олег Котов)
Date of Birth: September 13, 1966
Abducted since: April 23, 2022
Last known location: Kosacha Lopan village, Kharkiv region

Oleh worked for the police and retired as a lieutenant colonel. When the war broke out, the town of Kosacha Lopan was occupied. Oleh and his family could not be evacuated because they could not leave their elderly relatives.

Abduction

On the morning of April 23, 2022, men in military uniforms broke into his house, searched it, took all his cell phones and a laptop, put a sack over his head, and took him from the house.

Oleh’s wife tried everything to find out where her husband had been taken, but without success. Only two weeks later, a villager informed her that he had seen Oleh in solitary confinement at the Hoptivka checkpoint (Kharkiv Region).

Several other witnesses reported that Oleh had been tortured and beaten. It later became known that Oleh had been taken to Russia. It wasn’t until the summer of 2023 that the Russian Federation confirmed Oleh’s continued presence within its territory.

As of 2025, Oleh is in Penal Colony No. 7 in the village of Pakino (Vladimir Region, Russian Federation).

Health Status

Oleh has chronic bronchial asthma. After his arrest, he was severely beaten and tortured. Among other injuries, his ribs were broken. His current health status is unknown.

Status: April 2025