The Case of Victor: A Serial Stalker in Kyiv
In Kyiv, a man named Victor, known locally as "Vitya from the sleeping districts" or the Kyiv stalker, has been systematically harassing women. According to victims, his campaign of stalking has lasted between five and seven years, targeting random acquaintances from the metro, coffee shops, bloggers, and female university students. His methods include finding personal contacts through open databases, social media, and bots, as well as following victims to their homes.
Victims report receiving hundreds of calls and messages from various numbers across all messaging apps. The stalker spends hours standing outside apartment entrances, leaves gifts, and attempts to force his way through doors. Some women have been forced to move homes, change jobs, switch phone numbers, and even dye their hair. It has also emerged that he threatened several victims with acid attacks on their faces. The total number of women he has targeted is around 100, and roughly half of them have formed a support community to help one another.
Appeal to the Verkhovna Rada
These women have launched a petition drive for the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, urging the adoption of a specific law criminalizing stalking. Currently, Ukrainian legislation lacks a dedicated criminal statute for stalking, making it extremely difficult to hold perpetrators accountable. Under existing laws, the maximum penalty is an administrative fine for petty hooliganism. In practice, the mechanism for enforcing restraining orders is almost entirely ineffective.
One victim stated: 'He knew my schedule down to the hour. He knew when I went to work and when I came back. When I blocked him everywhere, he started writing to my parents and colleagues, spreading dirty lies about me.' - Source: a victim
Anna Kryzhanovska, an expert on psychological violence, emphasized that 'the key sign of stalking is that a person continues to violate your boundaries even after a clear refusal.' Natalia Garina, who also works on safety issues, stressed: 'The most effective strategy is to completely cut off communication, preserve evidence of the harassment, and contact law enforcement.' She added that 'threats are a tool of psychological control' and that 'stalking is not about obsessive affection. It is a form of psychological violence that can escalate into physical violence if not stopped in time.'
The shortcomings of the justice system in this case are stark. Without a specific stalking law, harassment cases remain unregulated. 'No body, no case,' many victims say, highlighting the urgent need for legal reform. When the maximum punishment under current law is a fine for petty hooliganism—far too lenient for such serious behavior—women are hoping the state will step up to ensure their safety.
In summary, the situation with the stalker Victor in Kyiv exposes serious gaps in Ukraine's human rights protections, forcing women to fight for their rights and safety by banding together to push for legislative change. This case underscores the importance of addressing psychological violence and the need for effective legal initiatives to protect stalking victims. With a growing wave of women's activism uniting to demand reform, there is hope that the situation for women's rights in Ukraine may improve.