Pseudo-rehabilitation centers liquidated in Kharkiv — people were illegally detained and exploited
Law enforcement officers in Kharkiv have shut down two pseudo-rehabilitation centers where, according to the investigation, people with drug and alcohol addictions were illegally detained. During searches, dozens of people were freed from private houses, and six Kharkiv residents were notified of suspicion.
According to the Office of the Prosecutor General, searches were conducted in two private houses located in the Slobidskyi and Saltivskyi districts of the city. It was there, according to the investigation, that people were held against their will.
The network operated for about five years under the guise of a charitable organization that allegedly rehabilitated individuals with drug and alcohol addictions. Between 20 and 60 people were held simultaneously in each house.
Investigators established that new "patients" were sought among people with addictions and those in difficult life circumstances. Their relatives were promised treatment and rehabilitation, for which they were charged from 5,000 to 25,000 hryvnias per month.
However, according to the investigation, no medical or psychological assistance was provided. Their documents, mobile phones, and money were confiscated, the houses were barred and locked, and the detainees were forced to work without pay and study religious texts. They were threatened and subjected to psychological pressure for disobedience.
According to law enforcement, the organizer managed the entire network, two accomplices controlled the detainees, and three others — former "patients" — became overseers.
Six individuals were notified of suspicion under Part 2 of Article 146 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — illegal deprivation of liberty of two or more persons, committed by a group by prior conspiracy. The prosecution is preparing a motion to impose preventive measures in the form of detention.
As previously reported by the "Judicial and Legal Newspaper", in ruling No. 686/15716/20 dated May 12, 2026, the Criminal Cassation Chamber of the Supreme Court considered the correct interpretation of Article 149 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and the determination of mandatory elements of the crime of human trafficking in cases related to the illegal transfer of a newborn child to other persons, registration of the child to a third party, and establishing the limits of criminal liability for such actions.
The practical significance of this position is that the Court noted that an illegal transaction regarding a child may fall under the crime of human trafficking regardless of the presence of the purpose of exploitation.
This is important for qualifying cases related to the illegal registration of newborn children, fictitious births, forgery of medical documents, and hidden schemes for transferring children to other persons.
Subscribe to our Telegram channel t.me/sudua and to Google News SUD.UA, as well as to our VIBER and WhatsApp, Facebook page and Instagram to stay informed about the most important events.
