16 June 2026
(PHOTO: State Bureau of Investigation)
The State Bureau of Investigations reported that it had uncovered a large-scale scheme involving the illegal coercion of citizens into mobilization at one of the district territorial recruitment and social support centers in the Odesa region.
According to the Bureau’s press service, to improve mobilization figures, six officials from the district recruitment center organized an illegal mechanism for transporting and detaining men.
They enlisted the help of three representatives of a local civic organization, who assisted in locating citizens and gathering information about them. SBI officers documented numerous instances of cruel treatment of the victims. The men were illegally detained in the premises of the recruitment center, beaten, intimidated, and subjected to psychological pressure.
The investigation also established specific instances of sexual violence against the victims. During searches, law enforcement officers seized rubber batons, hammers, and other items used to physically assault the citizens. Currently, nine members of the group have been detained. They have been notified of their status as suspects in the crimes of torture, unlawful deprivation of liberty, and robbery committed by an organized group. The court has ordered all suspects to be held in custody without the right to bail.
The State Bureau of Investigations also noted that one of the group’s members himself became a victim of cruel treatment and abuse while in the detention center. Employees of the State Bureau of Investigations have launched a pre-trial investigation into a possible human rights violation at the “Odesa Detention Center.”
Earlier,Intentreported that the State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine had launched an internal investigation into a possible violation of the rights of a person held at the Odessa Detention Center. The detention center’smanagement has been suspended from their duties for the duration of the investigation.
In addition, a team ofseniorofficials from the Department for the Execution of Criminal Sentences was sent to the Odessa Detention Center to investigate the possible human rights violation and clarify all the circumstances of the incident.
Кирило Бойко