The Sumy dynasty of the Kryvyi Rih zone: Hey, doormat, why don't you go ahead and file a complaint against me?

The new Minister of Justice, Denys Maslov, probably needs to start implementing the recording of the number of bodily injuries sustained by employees of places of deprivation of liberty. Because such statistics are kept for convicted individuals, but not for the prison staff themselves. So it's time to start. With a column in the table, indicating who among the management and how covers such episodes.

- I have been sitting for several years, I have acquaintances in many zones - says one of the convicts from Kryvyi Rih Correctional Colony No. 80. – But I have never encountered such comedies, where stories circulate about the head beating a subordinate for refusing to carry out illegal actions. We still laugh at such a scenario. –

Officer Ivan Dyadyushka was beaten at the beginning of June this year. According to one version, at a meeting, he was presented with the fact that he had to initiate an operational investigative case. The employee heard about this for the first time, so he went to clarify the situation with the acting head of the operational unit, Dmytro Grebenyuk.

(Dmytro Grebenyuk. Photo from messenger) 

According to the same version, in Grebenyuk's office, his subordinate learned that the head had submitted a request to initiate an operational investigative case in his name, without his knowledge. And for his objections, he received several blows to the face.

Witnesses among the staff saw Dyadyushka that morning in the colony, with bruises and traces of blood.

Outside the zone, several employees witnessed an eloquent conversation in raised voices.

- Hey, doormat, why don't you go ahead and file a complaint against me?, - Grebenyuk shouted. – And what am I wrong about?!

Dyadyushka did contact law enforcement, information was entered into the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations, and the State Bureau of Investigations launched a pre-trial investigation for abuse of power/service authority by an employee of a law enforcement agency.

The first deputy head of the Southeast Interregional Department for the Execution of Criminal Sentences, Oleksiy Stepanuk, arrived at the colony for an official inspection.

It is immediately worth recalling the video conference meeting a few months ago at the Southeast MRP for the Execution of Criminal Sentences of the Ministry of Justice. At that time, during the presentation to the staff and heads of subordinate institutions, Oleksiy Stepanuk emphasized the readiness for complete dedication to strengthen legality and order.

Readers will not be surprised that the official inspection found no evidence of any beating.

And God forbid anyone pressured the witnesses. Well, Mr. Stepanuk could not have called one of the witnesses, officer Oleksandr Okhov, and said something like this:

- You chose the wrong side, resign, or we will dismiss you "under the article". -

And the head of the institution, Oleksandr Bubenyets, could not personally pressure the witnesses either. But how could it be possible for the "master" of the colony to say something like this to subordinates at a meeting:

- When the time comes to calculate bonuses, think carefully so that internal security does not calculate them for you, depending on which testimony you will give. -

And, of course, during some inspections, it will not be confirmed that Dmytro Grebenyuk called numerous convicts to himself.

Those prisoners still have to sit in the colony. And where could one accuse the then head of the operational unit of ordering convicts, referring to the fact that it was agreed with the management, to give false testimonies? Supposedly, they did not see how Dyadyushka entered his office, and did not see any traces of beating on the officer's face that day.

Judge for yourself, it is an ideal scenario – the officer beat himself up to slander his immediate superior.

And the fact that a service investigation was conducted regarding the work of the key witness Okhov and he was organized a "partial compliance" with his position, well, that's just a coincidence.

As well as the fact that while the beaten Dyadyushka was on sick leave, a service investigation was also conducted against him. They clung to the improper documentation, found unfiled personal cases. They also fabricated a "partial service relationship".

“The man put on the crown”

As a result, the service inspection of the interregional department, supervised by Oleksiy Stepanuk, confirmed no facts of beating. Despite this, the pre-trial investigation by the State Bureau of Investigations is still ongoing.

By the way, dark stories about Dmytro Grebenyuk are circulating. Recently, a convicted military man E. arrived at the colony. A package came for him. And there were 3000 dollars. In 100 dollar bills. There was a scandal. Employees of the oversight and security department unpacked the package and called the operatives. Materials were compiled.

If that convict had signed a statement saying that he was panicking about prison and wanted to return to fight. Grebenyuk personally “told me”. Supposedly, you have money, combat payments. 3000 dollars – and you will sit quietly. I was transferred to the 16th department, where they keep prisoners who cooperate with the administration...

If he had signed such a statement, then Dmytro Grebenyuk would have had guaranteed criminal charges against him.

But he did not sign. And officially reported otherwise. And the colony's version is that the money was accidentally placed in the package. And everything in the zone was arranged so that the money was returned to the senders.

And the fact that rumors spread that Dmytro Grebenyuk took those 3000 greens dollars and divided them with the management, how do you attach that to the case? And not at all – could it be that they are slandering an honest prison officer?

(Dmytro Grebenyuk. Photo from Facebook)

And this is not the first time they are slandering the man. Well, Dmytro Grebenyuk could not have, at the beginning of summer, during total searches in the colony, dig out and take six phones from one hiding place of convicts.

And then sell those phones back to the prisoners for 6000 each.

Are there any statements? There are no statements. Could it be that they are slandering an honest prison officer again?

It looks like a smear campaign has been launched against a colleague — along with another story. Surely, Dmytro Hrebeniuk couldn’t have been charging “his” convicts for the use of mobile phones, could he? And whenever word got out that inspectors from the interregional administration were arriving, or that searches were planned, he would have the convicts hand over their phones — only to stash them away in his own office. And for each such phone, he would collect a fixed monthly fee — 1500 to 2000 hryvnias.

Are there any formal complaints? No, there aren’t. So, are people just slandering an “honest” prison official again?

One of the explanations for the described events may be that Dmytro Grebenyuk was "pulled" into his team by the "Sumy clan", which entered the Kryvyi Rih zone. And not only into this colony – but also into the Southeast Interregional Department for the Execution of Criminal Sentences.

New leader – new stage of development

If Colonel of Internal Service Oleksandr Bubenyets writes memoirs in the future, then the presentation of his personnel at Kryvyi Rih Correctional Colony No. 80, at the end of November 2025, personally by the head of the Southeast MRP for the Execution of Criminal Sentences of the Ministry of Justice Vitaliy Tymoshenko, deserves a separate chapter in the description of his career growth.

The newly appointed head of the colony emphasized in his speech the readiness to support the personnel. The basis of his activity, according to him, will remain legality, security, and decent working conditions.

The support of the personnel did not take long. In recent months, a mass exodus of employees who dedicated a significant part of their lives to this institution has occurred.

Naturally, the warden will not write in his memoirs that more than ten key staff members of the penal colony resigned due to the systematic psychological pressure he exerted on them. 

After all, as Bubenyets writes to us, "none of the mentioned former employees of the institution officially addressed the issue of violations of current Ukrainian labor legislation by the management of the institution”.

And indeed, if they have their own desire to resign, retire, or go to fight, what pressure could there be from the heads of the security departments and personnel work, the assistant head for the employment of convicts, the deputy head for social and educational work, the head of the office, and others?

To put it mildly, the staffing situation at the time of Mr. Bubenyets' arrival was already very complicated. According to data from monitors of the Kharkiv Human Rights Group and the public organization "Defense of Prisoners of Ukraine", out of a staff of 360.5 positions, the actual number at the end of 2025 was 193 positions.

But everything was taken into account by the experienced manager. In a short time, Oleksandr Bubenyets attracted to his team, in particular, Yevhen Zenchenko, Yevhen Melnyk, Serhiy Solodovnyk. And as knowledgeable people say, the process of transitioning employees from Sumy is gaining momentum.

The new head brought not random people into the team – acquaintances and those connected with him for more than a year.

Vitaliy Tymoshenko himself is not a stranger to him. As is the appointed in March 2026 to the position of first deputy head of the Southeast MRP for the Execution of Criminal Sentences Oleksiy Stepanuk.

A friend to a friend for his own

In 2015-18, Oleksandr Bubenyets headed the operational department of Shostka Correctional Colony No. 66.

Along with him, Serhiy Solodovnyk worked in this colony as the head of the social and psychological service department of the social and educational and psychological work department.

And Oleksiy Stepanuk, in 2016-2018 held the position of first deputy head of this institution - deputy head of the institution for supervision and security, protection, and operational work. And according to YouControl data, he even managed this Shostka colony.

Later, Oleksandr Bubenyets went to a similar position as first deputy, but already in Sumy Correctional Colony No. 116 goes.

Our sources in the penitentiary system assert that it was Mr. Bubenyets who facilitated Oleksiy Stepanuk's appointment to the position of deputy head of Sumy Pre-trial detention center for regime and security and operational work.

Serhiy Solodovnyk also previously moved to Sumy Pre-trial detention center as the head of the regime and security department.

By the way, Vitaliy Tymoshenko's brother – Vyacheslav – worked as the head of the social rehabilitation section in Sumy Correctional Colony No. 116 in 2018-2021 worked.

And the brother's wife – Oksana Tymoshenko – both then and now is the chief accountant - head of the financial support and accounting department in Sumy Correctional Colony No. 116.

The current head of the Southeast MRP for the Execution of Criminal Sentences, Vitaliy Tymoshenko, headed the Department of the State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine in Sumy region in 2016-2017, which included Sumy Pre-trial detention center, Shostka, and Sumy colonies.

As well as Konotop Correctional Colony No. 130, where at that time Yevhen Zenchenko worked as the deputy head of the institution for supervision and security and operational work.

Since 2017, Vitaliy Tymoshenko began to manage the Department of Interaction with Law Enforcement Agencies and Defense Work of the Sumy Regional State Administration.

When in 2022 Oleksandr Bubenyets became the head of Sumy Correctional Colony No. 116, Yevheniy Melnyk also came to work there as a junior inspector of the security department.

These are the heroes about whom we will tell further and the main part of the "Sumy descent", which began to land in the Kryvyi Rih zone and the Southeast MRP for the Execution of Criminal Sentences.

(Kryvyi Rih Correctional Colony No. 80. Photo HPG)

At the expense of the state

And also at the presentation, Oleksandr Bubenyets promised to modernize the work of the colony.

This direction particularly "succeeds" the colonel. Of course, at the expense of the state.

The colony purchased a number of goods. Modernization ones. Two leather office chairs stand out in particular. Special4You Rain and Rondi Maximus. The prison staff spent more than 32 thousand on them.

Oleksandr Bubenyets wrote to us that those expensive chairs are in the citizens' reception room.

And probably, our sources in the colony imagined that they saw those chairs in the head's offices. Which he has two. One on the territory of the zone, and one in the headquarters outside the zone. And those two chairs were moved to the citizens' reception room after a series of our inquiries.

The modernization also included the repair of the head's offices. The office on the territory of the colony has already been put in order.

According to our sources, the repairs were done, in particular, by the convict K.. He is systematically involved in repairs. And although he has a hernia sticking out like two fists, he is denied surgery because he knows how to do repairs professionally.

The convicts performed the repairs free of charge.

According to the legislation, the administration has the right to involve prisoners in work for landscaping and cleaning the territory - but not more than 2 hours.

Oleksandr Bubenyets, in response to our question about the use of convicts as free labor, writes that the staff schedule of the institution does not provide for employees whose task is to provide household services to convicts, so convicts solve their own household issues through self-service.

What is unclear to anyone? Outside the regulated working day for repairs in the head's office – is self-service of convicts and landscaping of the territory.

And also in April, Oleksandr Bubenyets signed a contract for the tender purchase of “materials for the current repair of the headquarters offices outside the zone”. It cost the colony over 250 thousand.

The head himself writes to us that all this is for improving working conditions for the staff, and not only his office is being repaired at the headquarters.

And indeed. Why should his two deputies work in offices without repairs, as well as the Sumy team of Yevhen Zenchenko and Serhiy Solodovnyk?

Or maybe it will be like with the chairs. They will be settled, after our inquiries, in those offices of other employees.

And the head also wrote to us that four Smart TVs Hisense E7Q and A6Q, with diagonals of 43” and 65” inches, were purchased for official needs, as video monitors for video surveillance of the safety of personnel and convicts.

Probably, the head personally dealt with that video surveillance, because before we sent inquiries, one of the plasma TVs, our sources in the colony, repeatedly saw in Oleksandr Bubenyets' office. Or maybe like with the chairs, they imagined it?

But what kind of head would it be without a presentable car? Holding such a position, one can do without a car. Own. Why spend your own money? We will buy it with the budget. After all, the head of the zone cannot drive around in service UAZs from the 80s.

And so the colony goes and buys a brand new specialized vehicle based on Škoda Karoq Selection Plus 1.4 TSI/110 kW 8AT 2025 model year.

Oleksandr Bubenyets writes to us that the car for 1 310 000 UAH is used exclusively for the official needs of the institution and for their direct official purpose.

(a car in a similar configuration)

However, the head did not answer us for what operational tasks the presence of additional equipment for child seats of the ISOFIX system is needed.

Or the "Chrome" package. Well, it should be understood that in the service vehicle of the colony, without such a set of decorative chrome elements of the body or interior, which emphasize style and make the appearance more expensive, it is simply impossible to do without.

And the information and entertainment system Infotaiment 8” and 8 speakers – how can one perform assigned tasks without a modern multimedia complex?

And also, malicious tongues in the colony say that Oleksandr Bubenyets, in the company of his Sumy colleagues, allegedly systematically once a month drove home to Sumy region in a service car.

And in August, they "went for a ride" on vacation.

Could it be that they are slandering? Because the head of the colony writes that the use of the car for official needs is confirmed by relevant documents.

One must know the places

We found ambiguous auto stories among the colleagues of Oleksandr Bubenyets. Here is his associate, the head of the oversight and security department of Kryvyi Rih colony, Yevhen Zenchenko.

(Yevhen Zenchenko. Photo from Facebook)

The man declared that his wife bought a Renault Megane, 2015 model year, in 2022. The family was incredibly lucky. 49 thousand hryvnias (900 euros), Mr. Zenchenko indicates, is the cost of the car. Of course, we asked him to explain why he indicated, in our opinion, a significantly understated price for this car. To which Zenchenko replied that the information regarding the purchased car corresponds to the data specified in the declaration. And is reliable.

So it looks like people just do not know the "places". You go to the profile site – and there such Meganes now, to put it mildly, are a bit more expensive.

But the law enforcement officer indicates – 49 thousand. So what questions can there be?

It is not excluded that where to search for a car at an acceptable price, Yevhen Zenchenko was advised by Oleksiy Stepanuk.

According to the declaration, this second person in the prison hierarchy of three regions, the current colonel in 2024 became the owner of a car AUDI Q7, 2015 model year for 45 thousand hryvnias (840 euros). This is what luck means.

You open auto.ria – prices for such a model are not less than half a million.

By the way, the purchased AUDI Q7, supposedly for 45 thousand, Oleksiy Stepanuk sold at the beginning of this year… already for 500 thousand (8 400 euros).

And this is not the first successful car purchase of the current colonel. In 2022, Oleksiy Stepanuk bought a Volkswagen Touareg, 2012 model year. He wrote in the declaration that the car cost him… 50 thousand. Hryvnias (920 euros).

What kind of prices are those, we of course asked Mr. Stepanuk. To which we received the answer: “according to the information provided in your letter, the National Agency for Prevention of Corruption is conducting a full verification of my declarations, in accordance with part one of Article 51³ of the Law of Ukraine "On Prevention of Corruption", within which I have provided all relevant explanations to the authorized body”.

We can certainly assume that such cheap cars as those of Yevhen Zenchenko and Oleksiy Stepanuk could have been offered by Yevheniy Melnyk. Because according to our sources, this person, in fact, the personal driver of the head of the colony Oleksandr Bubenyets, may supervise the auto service that operates on the territory of the zone. And is officially called the Production Workshop Division for the Repair of Wheeled Vehicles.

(Yevheniy Melnyk. Photo from Instagram)

With the arrival of the Sumy dynasty, prosperity began at the auto service

- The head's driver brings in the car. But they do not show the work that is actually done. They show the painting of one wing – while half the car is painted. Melnyk brings in the car – the whole car is painted, repaired, reassembled, welded, the car is repaired for two or three weeks. And only the painting of one wing goes through the cash register, - says a colony employee.

A source from among the convicts says that a significant part of the work is done by prisoners for free. Under the pretext of involving them in free labor for landscaping work. It varies – sometimes two cars, sometimes three a month, supposedly brought in by the head's driver, junior inspector of the oversight and security department of Kryvyi Rih colony Yevheniy Melnyk; he brings in paint materials or leather for reupholstering the interiors. They say that in July he brought three cars – the convicts performed two windshield replacements, reupholstered the interior with leather, and did paintwork.

Chevrolets, Hondas, Land Cruisers have been at the auto service in recent months.

And we were also told that supposedly the sale of restored cars is directly supervised by Yevheniy Melnyk.

We found the nickname of the head's driver on social networks - Jekson.Melnik. A simple search on Google can find information that this hero has systematically and repeatedly recently been interested in buying used cars and has been corresponding with sellers.

And what does the head say about all this? He writes that the auto workshop provides work for convicts. And technical maintenance and repair of cars are provided to customers according to contracts. Including, and to individuals.

The only thing that the head does confirm is that Yevheniy Melnyk is actually his driver. He writes that his use of the service car is carried out in accordance with the order, about securing the car for the purpose of performing official duties and assigned tasks.

Lieutenant Colonel Yevhen Zenchenko

- He worked all his life in a women's colony. And now he manages an entire department. This is maximally wrong - there should be a person from our institution. Who knows it, who has worked here for more than one year, who knows our zone from the inside, - says a long-time employee.

“I perform my duties in accordance with the requirements of current legislation of Ukraine. I do not allow violations of the requirements of the legislation,” wrote Yevhen Zenchenko in response to our request for comments.

And we asked him to comment on the lieutenant colonel's next dark story that is "circulating" in Kryvyi Rih Correctional Colony.

And they have imagined in that story that Lieutenant Colonel Zenchenko was receiving a monthly tribute from two prisoners V. and S.. The rate – six thousand per person. They transferred it to a "left" card for several months.

They know how to "invent" in Correctional Colony No. 80: if you want to walk with a phone, or if you walked without a vest, or other violations. Yevhen Zenchenko says and begins to "tell": you want to be released on parole – let's close this issue. And I will not compile materials against you for violating the detention regime.

But there are no statements from the convicts? – There are none. Did the prisoners not sign that the lieutenant colonel demanded money from them and systematically received it? – They did not sign.

So the described remains another dark story from Kryvyi Rih colony, and not a criminal case at all.

Meanwhile, one of our interlocutors confirms that he has repeatedly heard from other convicts about extortion of money from them so that "there would be no materials, so that there would be no escalation of a criminal case".

Kryvyi Rih Correctional Colony No. 80 is a leader in the number of new terms imposed on convicts for the so-called
“gross disobedience to the lawful demands of the administration of the correctional institution”.

In particular, for refusing to perform landscaping work for free.

In our previous investigation, we calculated the leading colonies, at the initiative of which convicts are given additional terms under Article 391 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

We analyzed data from the Unified State Register of Court Decisions from 2021 to April 2026.

The first place with a significant margin is held by Kryvyi Rih Correctional Colony No. 80. Its administration "organized" 59 new additional terms for its convicts.

Therefore, the issue of not bringing to justice for “violating the detention regime” is one of the urgent ones in Kryvyi Rih colony. And it is not excluded that fresh new stories about receiving money from convicts by competent employees will appear in the near future.

Meanwhile, the convicts complained to us that in June-July, when the heat was unbearable, supposedly by the personal order of Yevhen Zenchenko, they were forbidden to draw drinking water during lunch. Supposedly, you have water in the taps in the departments, so drink it.

By the way, human rights defenders from HPG and Defense of Prisoners of Ukraine, during monitoring visits, recorded the absence of tanks for drinking water in Kryvyi Rih Correctional Colony, which contradicts not only the Norms approved by the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine but also the European Prison Rules.

And the convicts also report that in several departments the roof is leaking. During the mentioned monitoring visit, human rights defenders also recorded a number of other numerous violations in the conditions of detention of convicts in Kryvyi Rih Correctional Colony No. 80.

What we have in the interim summary

A significant part of the premises for the detention and stay of convicts is in unsatisfactory technical condition and requires major repairs – while in Kryvyi Rih colony, repairs of the head's offices and his “team” are being made.

Unsanitary conditions for using sanitary facilities have been recorded, problems with lighting, heating, ventilation, and basic equipment – while the colony is buying an expensive brand new car.

A number of residential premises are not equipped with tanks for drinking water – but there is money for expensive leather chairs and plasma TVs.

Returning to Oleksandr Bubenyets' speech at his presentation to the staff, it is worth recalling the head's promise that the basis of his activity will remain security.

But did it happen as expected?

During Oleksandr Bubenyets' management, Kryvyi Rih colony “became famous” for three escape incidents.

One of the employees says that before this, the last escape from the territory of the colony itself occurred almost in the 80s.

And in January 2026, two convicts attempted such an escape. One did not succeed, the other did escape.

There is a social rehabilitation section at the colony where convicts are unescorted. There is no barbed wire. And it is easy to escape from there. Or a restriction of liberty section with also unescorted individuals. They have escaped from here before, in previous years. And not once.

But in January, there was an escape directly from the territory of the colony.

Auditors against the colony

In matters related to security in the colony, other violations have also been recorded.

This spring, Kryvyi Rih Correctional Colony No. 80 held a tender for the repair of the anti-escape fence. Oleksandr Bubenyets signed a contract for almost 1 million 925 thousand.

And the Eastern Office of the State Audit Office came and checked. According to the Conclusion on the results of monitoring the procurement procedure No. UA-2026-03-12-000085-a, a number of violations of the law were established during the specified procurement.

In particular, auditors proved the fact of including a single tax of 5% in the contractual price for the current repair, which is a violation of paragraph 292.1 of the Tax Code, which in turn does not comply with the requirements of paragraphs 2.1 and 8.6 of the draft contract.

For a moment, such a violation means a loss from the colony's budget of more than 96 thousand hryvnias.

The head of the penal colony did not accept this and decided to take the matter to court. However, on June 9, 2026, the Dnipropetrovsk District Administrative Court issued a ruling regarding the lawsuit filed by the prison warden against the Eastern Office of the State Audit Service of Ukraine — which sought to have a specific finding declared unlawful and overturned — denying the claim and returning the filing to the warden.

And only on June 30, the colony, through an additional agreement, reduced the contract amount.

Which in principle did not become an obstacle for auditors to publish on July 13, 2026, the protocol on bringing to administrative responsibility No. 04/0038/2026pr.

According to available information, in the near future, the Kryvyi Rih Correctional Colony No. 80 plans to reinforce the Sumy dynasty with three compatriots – operatives.

Currently, the head of the operational unit is Serhiy Solodovnyk.

We wrote a request to the Department for the Execution of Criminal Sentences, asking to conduct an inspection of the information we provided. But not to forward our request to the Southeast MRP for the Execution of Criminal Sentences, as we have reasonable doubts about the objectivity of this department.

We received a response from the Department that a service inspection will be conducted by the Internal Security Department of the Department, and we will be informed about the results of the service investigation.

Meanwhile, sources in the colony have already informed us about the arrival of the inspection and detailed how this service investigation took place. And in our subsequent materials, we will definitely describe the work of the inspectors and the response from the Department regarding the measures taken.

"We are being summoned to the head of the colony tomorrow. Most likely, we are going to the pit"

What does the absence of complaints from convicts in the colony indicate? Well, it is obvious that it is not about good detention conditions. This is a sign of total censorship from the administration, and a complete blocking of communication channels by the zone management.

Convicts in Kryvyi Rih Correctional Colony No. 80 – Maksym Korinnyi and Valerii Podolskyi – reached out to us.

The convicts complain about the illegal actions of the institution's administration.

According to current legislation, convicts have the right to address statements and complaints to the administration of correctional institutions, their higher authorities, to the Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for Human Rights, the court, and the prosecutor's offices.

Relevant requests (correspondence) are submitted to the administration of the correctional institution. Upon receipt of the request (correspondence) by the administration, a confirmation receipt is issued to the convict. Within three days (and in cases established by law, within one day) from the time of issuing the confirmation receipt, the specified request (correspondence) is sent to the addressee.

In addition, convicts are granted the right to make telephone calls (including in mobile networks) without limitation on their number under the administration's control, as well as to use the global Internet.

The administration of the institution grants permission for the use of IP-telephony and permission for the use of video communication tools via the Internet upon a written request from the convict.

In return, convict Maksym Korinnyi reported that the administration of Kryvyi Rih Correctional Colony No. 80 has repeatedly and systematically violated the above-mentioned rights.

He insisted that the institution's employees refused several times to accept his statements to the administration of the institution – addressed to the head of the institution, directed to the State Criminal Enforcement Service and to the judicial authorities.

They even refused to accept his statements about granting him the right to a telephone conversation – M. Korinnyi wanted to call the State Criminal Enforcement Service and complain about the actions of the administration of Kryvyi Rih Correctional Colony No. 80.

He also reported that the institution's employees did not allow him (and did not admit him) to meet with employees of the prosecutor's office, which was held by the prosecutor in July 2026 in the premises of the institution.

Valerii Podolskyi confirmed similar actions against him.

We wrote relevant requests to both the Department for the Execution of Criminal Sentences and the head of Kryvyi Rih Correctional Colony No. 80.

The day after sending our requests, Maksym Korinnyi reported:

- We are being summoned to the head of the colony tomorrow. Most likely, we are going to the pit. -

This was on August 12. After that, these convicts did not contact us again.

Instead, we received a response from Oleksandr Bubenyets.

The head of the colony writes that confidential conversations were held with the convicts, which were recorded on body cameras.

And then – attention. The head insists that the convicts stated that “they did not address any statements or complaints directly to the public organization “Bureau of Journalistic Investigations “Detectives” or other public organizations and did not send any requests regarding the actions of the institution's administration”.

And so Colonel Bubenyets clarified that the facts we provided were not confirmed.

Thus, it can be concluded not only about the censorship that prevails in Kryvyi Rih Correctional Colony but also about the intimidation of convicts.

And who could do this if the last information from the complaining prisoner was that they were summoned to the head of the colony personally?

Taras Zozulinskyy

07.09.2026