The Tragedy of Vladyslav: A Story of Brutality, Injustice, and Death in a Ukrainian Prison

The story of Vladyslav is a tragic example of how the system can destroy a person’s life. A young man, recognized as a draft evader, was sentenced to three years in prison and sent to Drohobych Colony. However, just two weeks later, his mother, Mrs. Lidia, received horrifying news: her son had been brought to the intensive care unit in critical condition—unconscious, beaten, and mutilated.

Vladyslav, who a year ago had spoken about his health issues, including tuberculosis and other serious illnesses, was declared fit for military service by the Military Medical Commission (MMC). Despite medical documents confirming his conditions, the court handed down a verdict, and the man ended up behind bars.

Vladyslav’s mother insists that her son was severely beaten in the colony. When he was brought to the hospital, he was covered in bruises, with bedsores and in handcuffs. Doctors discovered he had a brain tumor and other fatal diseases that could have been dangerous to those around him. According to medical staff, even without the beatings, his body would not have been able to withstand such illnesses for long.

Vladyslav recounted before his death how he was intimidated during the Military Medical Commission process. He was threatened with prison time if he failed to report to the enlistment office. Despite filing complaints with the military prosecutor’s office and the police, his appeals were ignored.

After Vladyslav’s death, the police opened a criminal case under the article of “intentional murder,” but the forensic medical examination found no evidence of violent death. Experts claimed that the cause of death was illness, and the bruises on his body were the result of falls. The case was closed, and no one was held accountable.

This story raises serious questions about human rights, prison conditions, and the work of military medical commissions. Vladyslav’s family continues to fight for justice, but so far, the system remains deaf to their suffering.

Transcription of the video translated into English:

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He was beaten up like this, tortured like this, because such beatings. And him.

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Her son was found guilty and sentenced to three years in prison. Recently, in May, he was taken to the Drohobych penal colony.

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And after that, less than two weeks later, as barely alive, unconscious, brought to the intensive care unit.

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So says Lydia. The woman is convinced that her son was severely beaten.

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He was brought to the colonies, he was in Lutsk in the pre-trial detention center, then, I don’t know for sure, in Lviv, and was in the colony.

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And he had already been brought, almost dead, to the intensive care unit, beaten, blue, handcuffed, left like a dog, he was all blue.

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And I went to this servant, so they told her that they brought him.

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And if she hadn’t seen it, I wouldn’t have known. And she said that his eyes were dry, and there were already bedsores, and he was all beaten up.

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We saw Vladislav a year ago. Then he was just being tried for evading mobilization.

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The man said that as a child he had tuberculosis for a long time and has confirmation from the stupdispanser.

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I have such a disease, if I get sick, I will infect more than one person.

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But the Military Medical Commission recognized him as fit for military service.

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Three years in prison were given both in the court of First Instance and in the appeal.

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Already as soon as he was in intensive care from the colony, his mother says, he was diagnosed with other diseases.

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The man had several deadly ailments at once, which could infect others.

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The first doctor said that he had six months to live from a fatal handicap.

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Because it is already a disease, it has been a disease for at least 5-6 years.

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There was a tumor in his brain.

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Because if the vlk was recognized, it would only save him.

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But just like he was beaten, everyone was killed.

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And that’s how he was beaten up.

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Clay was found already there, on the spot, when his unconscious blue beaten man was thrown in handcuffs, in the corridor.

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And then the doctor has already done all the tests at once.

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And as soon as they cut it, the whole head was empty.

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What the hospital doctors told us was that if he hadn’t been beaten up,

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the fact that he was very badly beaten, he could not stand it.

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His body just couldn’t stand it.

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So how was he examined by the whole Military Medical Commission of doctors in Volhynia?

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That’s what Vladislav told me when he was still alive.

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And I was made fit.

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They took him to the office, and the captain wrote to him.

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I just started being intimidated by the deadline.

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What did it look like?

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Well, as they said, You won’t come, you’ll be three to five.

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I say, for what?

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And they made me a criminal out of the Blue.

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I filed a complaint with the military prosecutor’s office, the police.

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They just came out, covered for her.

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Well, this Military Medical Commission, these people from the shopping center.

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I think so, if I’m already the mayor of my illness, I can’t.

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As he endured, he was already so ill.

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He didn’t tell me that he was drinking something from his head, he got sick, that his head hurt.

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He says, Mom, I’m in a healthy state, the commission, I passed twice, they recognized me in a healthy state.

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First, after Vladislav’s death, the police opened a crime under the article “premeditated murder”.

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Relatives say that the forensic medical examination was done for a long time, almost a month.

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I came to the morgue, did an expert examination, I ask him, I say, is there something on Senka’s body?

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He says no, well, there are a couple of Sentsov, as there is no, if in the documents, there are gods.

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And he says, No, there are no senets, how long he has been lying down, maybe they came down.

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I call the investigator, I call, she doesn’t pick up the phone from me, my husband called, doesn’t pick up the phone.

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My mother just called her on Friday.

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The medical examiner wrote that the cause of death of the man is his illness.

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And Senka on the body, they say, he himself fell somewhere like this, and it has nothing to do with death.

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And whatever you think, the production has already been closed.

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They say that there are no perpetrators of the man’s death.

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For Sho?

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For Sho?

Transcription of the video in Ukrainian:

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Його як побили, такого закатували, тому що такі побої. І він.

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Її сина визнали ухилянтум і засудили до трьох років тюрми. Нещодавно у травні доставили в Дрогобицьку колонію.

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А після того не минуло і двох тижнів, як ледь живого, без свідомості, привезли в реанімацію.

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Так розказує пані Лідія. Жінка переконана, що сина сильно побили.

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Його привезли в колонії, він був в Луцьку в СІЗО, потім, я вже точно не знаю, в Львові, і в колонії був.

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І він його вже привезли, майже мертвого в реанімацію, привезли побитого, синього, в наручниках кинули, як собака, він весь синій був.

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І я цій служительниця поїхала, то їй так розказали, що якого його привезли.

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І якщо б вона не бачила, я б нічого не знала. А вона так сказала, що він був висухший геть очі, і вже були пролежні, і весь побитий.

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Ми бачили Владислава рік тому. Тоді його тільки почали судити за ухилення від мобілізації.

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Чоловік розказував, що в дитинстві довго хворів на туберкульоз і має підтвердження ступдиспансеру.

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У мене така хвороба, якщо я захворію, то я заражу ще не одну людину.

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Але військово-лікарська комісія визнала його придатним до служби в армії.

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Три роки тюрми дали і в суді першої інстанції, і в апеляції.

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Вже як з колонії опинився в реанімації, розказує мама, у нього виявили й інші хвороби.

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Чоловік мав одразу кілька смертельних недух, котрими могли заразитись оточуючи.

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Перший лікарська сказав, що йому залишалося жити пів року від смертельної фори.

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Бо вже хвороба, вже мінімум 5-6 років була ця хвороба.

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Його опухоль в головному мозку була.

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Бо якщо б ВЛК визнали, то лише б його вона було спасти.

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Але як і його побили, всі зобили.

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І в цьому так, як геть він побитий був.

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Глину виявили вже там, на місці, як його безсознання кинули синього побитого в наручниках, в коридорі.

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І тоді врач вже зробили всі аналізи зразу.

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А вже як розрізали, то там вже голова вся була порожена.

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То, що нам сказали лікарів лікарня, то сказали, що якби його не побили,

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то що його дуже сильно побили, він не зміг витримати.

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Його тіло просто це все не перенесло.

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То як же його обстежувала ціла військово-лікарська комісія медиків на Волині?

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Ось що розказував Владислав, ще як був живий.

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І мене зробили придатним.

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Завели в кабінет, на нього писало капітан.

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Мене просто почали залякувати сроком.

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Як це виглядало?

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Ну, як сказали, ви не прийдете, вам світить від трьох до п’яти.

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Говорю, за що?

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І мене зробили на рівному місці злочинцем.

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Я подав жалобу в військову прокуратуру, в поліцію.

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Вони просто вийшло, прикрили її.

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Ну, цю військово-лікарську комісі, цих людей з ТЦК.

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Я так думаю, якби вже меру своєї хвороби, я не можу.

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Як він витерпів, він вже так хворий був.

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Він мені не казав, що він пив якийсь від голови, залівся, що боліла голова.

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Каже, мам, я в здоровій, комісія, два рази я проходив, в здоровий визнали.

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Спочатку після смерті Владислава поліція відкрила кримінал за статтею «умисне вбивство».

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Рідні кажуть, що судову медичну експертизу робили довго, майже місяць.

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Я приїхала в морг, робив експертизу, я в нього питаю, говорю, сенці на тілі щось є?

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Каже, ні, ну там пару сенців, як немає, якщо в документах, є побоги.

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А він каже, ні, сенців немає, скільки він вже лежав, може посходили.

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Я дзвоню до слідчою, я дзвоню, вона від мене не бере трубки, мій чоловік дзвонив, не бере трубки.

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От мама тільки до неї дозвонилася в п’ятницю.

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Судмедексперт написав, що причиною смерті чоловіка є його захворювання.

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А сенці на тілі то, мовляв, він сам десь так падав, і до смерті то не має ніякого відношення.

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І що б ви думали, провадження вже закрили.

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Мовляв, винних у смерті чоловіка нема.

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За шо?

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За шо?