In the autumn 2022 at least 250 persons from the occupied Kherson region were held in the colony no.14 of the Krasnodar region, where Andriy KOLOMIYETS, the political prisoner, served his term. That is what Andriy KOLOMIYETS shares with
the Crimean Human Rights Group, once released.
“In the autumn 2022 some 250 persons from the Kherson region were placed into the barrack I was in, I mean this barrack only. I was said that no less than 2 500 persons were abducted by the russians from the regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhya. I heard that while one of the convoys a Ukrainian was shot dead through a food-tray-slot in cell-door”, – A. KOLOMIYETS claims.
The EUROMAIDAN activist, Andriy KOLOMIYETS is the resident of the Kyiv region. In 2014 he via internet got to know Halyna, his wife-to-be, and went to see her in Kabardino-Balkarsk Republic (RF). On 15 May 2015 the RF policemen apprehended him on spurious charges at the dwelling of Halyna. A. KOLOMIYETS was severely tortured with an electric flow. Being tortured, A. KOLOMIYETS self-incriminated himself. Then he was transported to Crimea and accused of attack against “the Berkut officers”. On 10 June 2016 Mykhaylo BILOUSOV, “the judge of the Kyiv district court” of Simferopol, sentenced A. KOLOMIYETS to 10-year imprisonment in the colony of the strict regime. A.KOLOMIYETS was accused of attempted murder of two ex-officers of the Internal Affairs Ministry Department, “the Berkut”, during the events on Maidan in Kyiv under several articles of the Criminal Code of the RF: article 105 – the murder of two and more persons (noncompleted), article 228 – storage of the drugs (the Article which implied the search at the dwelling of the spouse of A.KOLOMIYETS), article 30 – attempted murder. The Office of the Prosecutor General denied any involvement of A.KOLOMIYETS in attacks against “the Berkut”. The Crimean Human Rights Group maintained the case was fully trumped up and politically motivated. The resolution by the European Parliament as of 14 June 2018 declared Andriy KOLOMIYETS to be political prisoner.
Andriy KOLOMIYETS informs that while in the colony he was on the preventive register as a person prone to committing offences and placed in a penalty confinement dozens of times. Being Ukrainian, he felt “special attitude” in the russian colony.
“I’ve been through a lot. The heads of the different units of the Federal Penal Service came to ask: “ Which country does Crimea belong to?” And I was thinking to myself: should I say the truth or keep silence?” First two years I was beaten non-stop, I fought back, I was placed into the “pit”. Later on I simply replied:” Do you understand what I am imprisoned for? I am the Maidan participant”. They responded:” Well, no more talks, [to place him] for 15 days in the penalty confinement. This was never ending practice’, – A. KOLOMIYETS went on.
As A.KOLOMIYETS states he was singled out of other inmates:” During these years they insulted me, called me names…The whole time while imprisoned I was reiterated about Crimea. At the outset I answered back, fought. But one can not defeat the system. Just a word “war” could entail the longer imprisonment.”
In the colony the health of A.KOLOMIYETS deteriorated: he suffered from the headache, high blood pressure, psoriasis, stomach ache, he lost teeth. A. KOLOMIYETS tried to reach the management of the colony by lodging official complaints. For instance, once due to the complaint by the lawyer A.KOLOMIYETS succeeded to undergo treatment of psoriasis exacerbation.
“I opted for being vocal. The management of the colony knew that if insulted I would protest: my wife, my lawyer, the Ukrainian consul who visited me, would know about it for sure. Before the visits of the consul I was better treated. No doubts, I knew I might be “at risk”, but I had no other choice”, – A.KOLOMIYETS adds.
The ex-political prisoner maintains the support of the family and caring Ukrainians helped him to survive long term of imprisonment. Andriy got many letters, six month delayed though. In particular, A. KOLOMIYETS states these letters are not just support, but a significant tool to ease the pressure on the political prisoners by the penitentiary management of the russian federation.
“I knew I was not alone. My wife, my parents, the HRDs, the volunteers were there for me. I got many letters from Ukraine, even from russia – from those who were against the war. Without that support, I would not be here now”, – A. KOLOMIYETS stressed.
On 15 January 2025 Andriy KOLOMIYETS was released from the colony in Krasnodar after 10-year imprisonment. At once he was apprehended and conveyed to the Centre of the temporary detention of the foreigners of the unit of the Internal Affairs Ministry of the RF in the district of Hulkevytchi, where he spent another 6 months.
On 6 July A. KOLOMIYETS was transported to the check point at the russo Georgian border “Verkhniy Lars/ Upper Lars” in the Northern Osetiya, where he was questioned for 5 hours.
On 12 July 2025 Andriy KOLOMIYETS came back to Ukraine, crossed the border. At once he was conveyed to the Territorial Center of Recruitment and Social Support which considered the information and the relevant documents proving the deprivation of freedom of A. KOLOMIYETS, he was free to go, reached Kyiv where he met his mother.
