Andrii Kryndushkin's Account of Detention in Kharkiv SIZO No. 27
Ukrainian blogger Andrii Kryndushkin has provided testimony about the conditions in Kharkiv's SIZO No. 27, a pre-trial detention center considered one of the country's harshest, where he was held for nine months after being forcibly returned from Turkey. His account highlights systemic corruption, physical abuse, and a stark disparity in living conditions between different wings of the facility. SIZO No. 27 has long been criticized by human rights monitors for its severe regime.
Kryndushkin stated he was subjected to regular physical violence.
"They told me it has the strictest regime... it's a 'red' detention center after all... For the first period, they beat me because they kept moving me between cells... They look for any, any excuse to target you," Kryndushkin recounted.He contrasted this with the fifth wing, describing a completely different environment:
"In the fifth wing, everyone is, well, set up comfortably. Mobile phones, everyone has a TV, it's all civil there. Of course, you need to pay the administration well," the blogger noted.
The blogger also revealed a specific corrupt bargain, where he obtained a tablet computer in exchange for helping administration staff plan a holiday. "They say: 'Help us with the tickets.' I think: 'What's the big deal about helping? Can't you do it yourselves?'. 'Well, tell us, you've been there, where to go, which hotel.' I say: 'I need a tablet,'" Kryndushkin explained, detailing the trade for assistance with their trip to Thailand.
Furthermore, Kryndushkin documented his daily life inside, storing the materials in cloud storage. "By the way, I filmed the Kharkiv SIZO as if I worked there as a journalist. I uploaded all of it to the 'cloud,'" he emphasized. He also described grueling forced labor, such as daily construction work: "We poured concrete every day: sometimes tiles... then there was a cavity under our toilet... It's very hard."
Systemic Issues at Kharkiv's Detention Center
Overall, Kryndushkin's testimony exposes serious, systemic problems within Kharkiv SIZO No. 27, particularly the stark contrast in treatment and conditions between different sections of the jail.
These accounts underscore the urgent need for comprehensive reform of Ukraine's penitentiary system. The persistent issues of physical abuse, corruption, and unequal detention conditions highlight the necessity for concrete measures to improve human rights protections in places of detention. Kryndushkin's experience could serve as a catalyst for further investigation and public debate regarding the treatment of detainees in Ukrainian prisons.