Activist Serhiy Tsyhipa went on hunger strike in Russian prison over refusal to provide medicine

Nova Kakhovka activist Serhiy Tsyhipa, illegally convicted in Russia, went on a hunger strike in penal colony No. 3 in Skopin (Ryazan region, RF). This was the only way to persuade the prison staff to give him the medicine he needed, reports ZMINA, citing his wife and fellow activist Olena Tsyhipa.

“He was forced to do it so that they give him the medicine. Everything is fine, he did receive the medicine, he is already taking it,” Mrs. Tsyhipa explained.

Serhiy Tsyhipa. Photo by Crimean Process

The activist went on the hunger strike about a month ago. According to his wife, it is difficult to tell exactly how long the hunger strike lasted due to the limited opportunities to talk to Serhiy: the phone conversation took place in the presence of guards and Serhiy could not share all the details. According to Olena Tsyhipa, the medication was for chronic inflammation caused by the damp and cold detention conditions; the prison refused to provide it despite the recommendations of the medical staff.

“I arranged the medicine supply back in May and thought that he had already taken it a long time ago. And during the phone call I learned that they were withholding it on purpose – until he forced them to give it to him so by going on a hunger strike,” Olena added.

The Serhiy Tsyhipa case

Serhiy Tsyhipa is a public activist based in Nova Kakhovka (Kherson oblast) and runs the NGO "Kahovka Bridgehead"; he is a volunteer, former journalist and an ATO veteran.

Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, he has been doing volunteer work, attending rallies in support of Ukraine and reporting on the occupiers' actions in the South.

The Russians kidnapped the journalist on March 12, 2022, when he was on his way to Tavriysk with his dog to deliver medicine for his mother-in-law.

On October 6, 2023, the Russia-backed Supreme Court of Crimea sentenced Tsyhipa to 13 years in prison.

In May 2024, it was reported that Serhiy Tsyhipa had been moved to Skopin (Ryazan region, Russia), where he is to serve his prison term.

In March 2025, it was reported that Serhiy Tsyhipa had been moved from the Skopin prison to Moscow.

In March 2025, the Russian Supreme Court dismissed the cassation appeal against Serhiy Tsyhipa's sentence.