Former civilian hostage Oleg Kotov, who was illegally held captive by Russia for over four years, has died after returning to Ukraine. Oleg Kotov was detained by Russian military personnel on April 23, 2022, at his home in the village of Kozacha Lopan in the Kharkiv region . “This evil must be defeated,” Oleg Kotov said in one of his last interviews after his release. According to him, Russian doctors only spoke of “persistent pneumonia” and in fact did not provide the necessary medical care. After returning to Ukraine, doctors diagnosed him with cancer.