A pro-Russian Polish citizen, Krzysztof Galos, who did not believe Russia had launched a war against Ukraine, was likely killed by Russian security forces, according to media reports.
The Russian human rights group Memorial published an account about an unidentified Polish national who died in a pretrial detention center (SIZO) in Taganrog, Russia. A family from Krakow recognized the man as their relative, saying the story matches details of Galos’ disappearance, reports Poland’s Gazeta Wyborcza.
Memorial said it received information about Krzysztof from a Ukrainian who remains in Russian captivity. The witness described a 50- to 55-year-old man who traveled to Ukraine after Russia’s full-scale invasion began to see events with his own eyes. During the trip, he likely drove into a Russian military checkpoint by mistake and was detained. He was tortured and died as a result, according to the account.
Relatives are convinced the account refers to Krzysztof Galos, who went missing in spring 2023.
At an Easter family dinner, he told relatives he planned a two-week vacation but gave no details. On April 19, the family received his final text message: “I can’t answer. Everything is fine.”
After he vanished, authorities determined that on April 20 he crossed the border into Ukraine in his car. Cameras last captured the vehicle in May that year near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, occupied by Russian forces. No further trace of him was found.
The family was stunned: Galos had no ties to Ukraine, knew no one there, and even denied the existence of the war, calling it a fabrication.
When journalists shared details from Memorial’s report about a Pole named Krzysztof who was tortured in prison, the relatives immediately recognized him. “That’s him… It fits, everything falls into place,” his son said.
The family has asked authorities to open a criminal investigation into the killing of Krzysztof Galos. They requested information from Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War and from organizations assisting Ukrainian military personnel and civilians held in Russian captivity, which are now looking for witnesses among those released. A request was also sent to Russia’s Foreign Ministry. Under consular agreements, Moscow was obliged to notify Poland about the detention and death of a Polish citizen, but no such notice was received. There has been no response so far.
