On May 11, prosecutors from the Dnepropetrovsk Regional Prosecutor's Office sent to court an indictment against four organizers of pseudo-rehabilitation centers in Zheltye Vody and Shakhterskoye, where hundreds of people, including children, were illegally detained for almost two years. The Office of the Prosecutor General announced this on May 15 on Telegram.
According to the investigation, three such establishments appeared in 2023 and operated without permits or licenses for medical or rehabilitation activities. Law enforcement officials report that for the maintenance and treatment of one person, suspects could receive from relatives from 6 thousand UAH.
“In fact, people were held against their will: their documents were taken away, their freedom of movement was limited, they were constantly monitored and not allowed to leave the premises,” the department notes.
According to the Office of the Prosecutor General, a total of 287 women and men could be kept in the “rehabilitation centers,” including seven children aged 14, 15 and 17 years. They were transferred to institutions by parents or guardians, and after exposure they were returned to their families. During the investigation, the children and 25 other adults officially declared unlawful deprivation of liberty, as indicated in the investigation materials.
In December 2025, law enforcement officers conducted searches and, according to the Prosecutor General of Ukraine Ruslan Kravchenko, seized passports, military ID cards, pension certificates, medical cards and telephone numbers of detained people, as well as weapons.
Four suspects, including the director and supervisors of the center, will be tried for illegal imprisonment committed for mercenary reasons by an organized group. The court chose a preventive measure for them in the form of house arrest.
