Russians killed a Pole who did not believe in the war in Ukraine: a trip to the occupied territories ended in death in a detention center.

A Polish citizen, who, according to relatives, had long denied the fact of a full-scale war in Ukraine, went to the occupied territories to “see for himself.” According to Poland’s Gazeta Wyborcza, this trip ended tragically: the man was detained, after which he ended up in a Russian prison and allegedly died there as a result of torture.

The detention and death were reported to journalists by representatives of the Russian human rights organization “Memorial.” According to their information, in the spring of 2023, a man with the surname Galos was placed in a pre-trial detention center in Taganrog, Rostov region. A Ukrainian source of the organization, cited by human rights activists, claims that he died while in custody.

“Memorial” suggests that the foreigner might have ended up with Russian security forces by accident: according to human rights activists, he might have “taken a wrong turn” and ended up at a checkpoint, after which he fell into the hands of the occupying structures. It is emphasized that the man had no known ties to Ukraine and was not involved in any activities related to the war.

Relatives of the deceased described him to journalists as a person who for years denied the reality of hostilities and perceived reports of the invasion as fiction. They also linked this to his psychological state, mentioning depression.

“Uncle was in no way connected to Ukraine. He didn’t know anyone there,” the family’s position was recounted in the publication, adding that he had long refused to accept the very fact of the war.

This story is yet another reminder that for civilians and foreigners, any trips to the occupation zone or the contact line carry risks that cannot be calculated in advance. Even if a person goes “just to see” and does not consider themselves a participant in the events, in practice they may find themselves in a situation where familiar rules do not apply, and safety depends on the arbitrariness and suspicions at a checkpoint.

What is important for the reader to understand right now: reports of detentions, violence, and deaths in places of detention against the backdrop of the war regularly appear in human rights reports and investigations, but the details of such cases are often not immediately confirmed and require verification from various sources. In this story, the key point remains that the information was provided by “Memorial” human rights activists, and the tragic outcome, according to published data, occurred after the person was placed in the detention center.

For the Israeli audience, there is a practical takeaway without unnecessary journalism: people with Israeli documents, dual citizenship, relatives in Europe, or ties to Ukraine should soberly assess routes and not experiment with “trips to check reality,” especially in areas controlled by Russian occupying forces. This is not a plot for curiosity — it is a zone where a mistake in one turn can cost a life, and it is precisely this price that “NAnews — News of Israel | Nikk.Agency” reminds us of.