Melekino is a Ukrainian resort village located on the Azov Sea. It has been occupied by Russia since 2022. The small seaside resort has also become a place where Moscow sends Russian refuseniks and deserted soldiers for detention. According to the Russian independent outlet ASTRA, soldiers are held here in torturous conditions at a facility that is overcrowded, dirty and poorly ventilated. Victims also reported brutal cases of physical and psychological abuse.

One of the detainees is Yegor Kharin, a soldier from Buryatia, whose name has been changed. In Melekino, Yegor was placed in a basement of an abandoned construction site in June 2025. He said soldiers were kept there for up to a year, with limited access to sanitation and medical care. He described the facility as cramped, humid

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