Case of pseudo-rehabilitation centres, where nearly 300 people were illegally detained, has been referred to court. PHOTOS
On 11 May 2026, prosecutors from the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Prosecutor’s Office filed an indictment with the court against four members of an organised group who had set up and operated a network of illegal ‘rehabilitation’ centres in Zhovti Vody and Shakhtarsk.
Three of these establishments had been operating since 2023 for almost two years without the permits and licences required by law for medical or rehabilitation activities, reports Censor.NET.
The facilities operated without any permits or licences
Despite this, relatives paid the organisers from 6,000 hryvnias per person, hoping that their loved ones would receive treatment or help with their addictions.
In reality, people were held against their will: their documents were taken away, their freedom of movement was restricted, they were constantly monitored and not allowed to leave the premises.
In total , 287 men and women were held in three such centres, including seven minors – two children aged 14 and 15 and five 17-year-olds. They had been handed over to the facilities by their parents or guardians.
Following the exposure of the illegal centres, all minors were returned to their legal guardians. During the investigation, seven children and 25 adults formally reported their unlawful deprivation of liberty.
In December 2025, during searches, law enforcement officers seized documentation and other evidence of the illegal activities of the rehabilitation centres.
The actions of the ‘centre’s’ director and supervisors were classified as unlawful deprivation of liberty, committed for financial gain by an organised group.
The court imposed house arrest as a preventive measure on the defendants.
