The Center for Journalist Investigations identified Ukrainians who decided to collaborate with the Russian aggressor and obtained positions in the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service in occupied Melitopol.
The Federal Penitentiary Service of the Russian Federation (FSIN) is the special governmental body subordinated to the Ministry of Justice of Russia. FSIN is responsible for the detention of convicted persons, maintenance of Russian prisons and transportation of prisoners. To put it briefly, these are people securing inhuman conditions for the detention of political prisoners on temporarily occupied Crimea, the South and East of Ukraine.
The Russian Ministry of Justice officially registered its occupation department in Zaporizhzhia region on February 21, 2023. Though, it has been de facto created in 2022, as the CJI wrote in its material «Guard dogs of Russian occupation regime in Zaporizhzhia».
Ukrainian volunteer group KibOrg received phone book of FSIN in Zaporizhzhia region, with personal data and positions of its workers. We identified Ukrainian citizens who decided to collaborate with Russian occupants.
The CJI wrote about one of them, Maksym Yevhenovych Prystupa, in above mentioned material. In 2022, he has been an acting head of the FSIN department in the region.
Maksym Prystupa, jailor-collaborator. Photo: ria-m.tv
Before the Russian full scale invasion, he has worked as the head of the guarding unit of Melitopol female correctional colony. After the invasion, he voluntary decided to collaborate with Russian occupants and supplied them meals cooked at the kitchen of the colony. In September 2022, Maksym Prystupa reported to Russian RIA «Novosti» that his subordinates participated in pseudo-referendum. However, Russian occupants quickly dismissed him and no data can be found about him in Russian state registers.
Russian citizen Yevgenii Zayarko has been appointed as the head of FSIN in occupied Zaporizhzhia region. Before he has headed similar body in the Russian region called Khakasia.
Olena Oleksandrivna Scherbak has headed «Prymorsk correctional colony # 145» (before 2021, it has been called «Berdyansk correctional colony # 77) before the Russian occupation.
This colony has been infamous for numerous facts of harassment and torturing of inmates. In June 2023, the Ukrainian State Bureau of Investigations detained former head of Berdyansk colony and his first deputy under accusation of torturing inmates and extorting bribes from their relatives.
Lieutenant colonel Olena Scherbak has been appointed as the head of this colony in June 2021. However, she did not improve conditions in the colony and, after Russian occupation, she greeted Russian occupants.
Olena Scherbak, head of colony-torture chamber in Berdyansk. Photo: Myrotvorets, 2022
According to TG channel «Бердянськ в окупації» [Berdyansk under occupation], Scherbak forced her subordinates to work and collaborate with Russian occupants.
As this channel reported, Russian occupants have detained and tortured in this colony abducted residents of Berdyansk: Ukrainian patriots, soldiers and their family members, personnel of law enforcement bodies, who refused to collaborate with occupants, businessmen and ordinary people. Olena Scherbak bears full responsibility for inhuman regime of this secret prison for political prisoners.
«This prison is the torture chamber for Ukrainians, training ground for harassment and humiliation of Ukrainian citizens who refused to betray their state», as wrote «Berdyansk under occupation».
Personal data of O.O.Scherbak: date of birth 13.02.1979, taxpayer’s number 2889813386. Residence address: Zaporizka oblast, Melitopol, vul. Krasina, 14, apt.3.
46 years old resident of Melitopol Denys Mykolayovych Proskurnya has been appointed by Russian occupants as the senior inspector of supplies of FSIN in occupied Zaporizhzhia region. In 2010, he ran for the local self-government body from pro-Russian political party «Soyuz Livykh Syl» (already banned in Ukraine). In 2017, he submitted applications (1, 2, 3) for various positions within Melitopol City Council but he did not attend entry exams or scored low.
Jailor-collaborator Denys Proskurnya with his wife, 2021. Photo: social media
Personal data of Proskurnya: date of birth 18.03.1977, taxpayer’s number 2820102718. Address: Zaporizka oblast, Melitopol, vul. Pushkina, 442. He has the following social media accounts: https://vk.com/id257034390, https://ok.ru/profile/556281716411, https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008043167138
35 years old Remiz Artur Anatoliyovych is the subordinate of Proskurnya. In 2010, he graduated as the lawyer from Donetsk Academy of Internal Affairs. He has been professional football player since 2019 until the beginning of 2021. He has played for Ukrainian club «Schakhtar» and then for club «Hegelmann» (Kaunas, Lithuania), sponsored by the representative office of international transport company Hegelmann Group in Ukraine (it has two branches in Lviv and Melitopol).
Artur Remiz, jailor-collaborator, 2019. Photo: terrafootball.club
Personal data of Remiz: date of birth 09.11.1987, taxpayer’s number 3208911179. Address: Zaporizka oblast, Melitopolsky raion, Kostyantynivka village, vul. Schevchenka, 41. His accounts in the social media are: https://vk.com/id394141134, https://ok.ru/profile/566023802544, https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100079271027792
Melitopol resident Matsak Valentyn Grygorovych has headed healthcare group within FSIN in occupied Zaporizhzhia region. By the end of 2020, Matsak served as the senior accountant in military unit A2558 (the 16th separate regiment of Land Forces) of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He has been brought to justice for abuses. We do not know whether Matsak has been the member of the Armed Forces of Ukraine by the time of the Russian invasion.
Matsak Valentyn, jailor-collaborator, first from the left. Photo: ВК, 2014
Personal data of Matsak: date of birth 28.19.1994, taxpayer’s number is 3469506356. Address: Zaporizka oblast, Melitopol, prospect 50 richia Peremogy, 22. His accounts in social media: https://vk.com/id158876407.
Let us now look at collaborators who hold middle and rank-and-file positions in the department of FSIN in occupied Zaporizhzhia region. Their activity secures the work of the whole system.
Nazarenko Yulia Valentynivna has worked as leading specialist in the «ministry» of education and science in Melitopol. Now she is an accountant in the unit of the department of FSIN in Zaporizhzhia region.
Her data: date of birth 10.03.1980, taxpayer’s number 2928916842. Address: Zaporizka oblast, Melitopol, vul.Chkalova, 103. Account in social media:
https://ok.ru/profile/317180071372/photos
Zaburunova Maryna Mykolaivna worked as an accountant at local company «Monolit-Syntez». Russian occupants appointed her as the senior specialist in the economic unit of FSIN.
Her data: date of birth 01.10.1979, taxpayer’s number: 2912810849. Address: Zaporizka oblast, Melitopol, vul. Sedovtsiv, 104. Accounts in social media: https://vk.com/id154636207 https://ok.ru/profile/524693341606.
Prytula Olga Andriivna has worked in the sector of juvenile probation in Melitopol before the Russian occupation. Now she is the head of secretariat of FSIN.
Her data: date of birth 16.12.1983, taxpayer’s number 3285702867. Address: Zaporizka oblast, Melitopol, vul.Kominterna, 279. An account in social media: https://ok.ru/profile/196613222010/photos.
Yulia Nazarenko, Maryna Zaburunova, Olga Prytula, collaborators of FSIN in occupied Zaporizhzhia region. Photo: social media
Other Ukrainian citizens have been also found in the list of personnel of FSIN in occupied Zaporizhzhia region:
Benevolenska Iryna Mykhailivna, the head of the archive of FSIN.
Her data: date of birth 23.08.1985, Ukrainian taxpayer’s number 3128111547. Russian taxpayer’s number 900100231704. Address: Zaporizka oblast, Melitopol, vul.Frolova, 23. Social media account: https://vk.com/benevolenska
Kostova Yulia Sergiivna is the senior HR inspector.
Her data: date of birth 13.05.1984, taxpayer’s number 3081415469. Address: Zaporizka oblast, Melitopol, vul.Shmita, 6, kv. 13. Social media account: https://ok.ru/profile/566883755480
Sotinova Krystyna Gennadiivna is an accountant within main accounting department of FSIN. Her personal data: date of birth 30.05.1988, taxpayer’s number is 3229213166. Address: Zaporizka oblast, Melitopol, vul.Chervonoflotska, 77, kv. 56A. Account in social media: https://ok.ru/profile/566883755480.
Drobinina Kateryna Mykolaivna is senior HR inspector. Her personal data: date of birth 04.01.1982, taxpayer’s number 2995417902. Address: Zaporizka oblast, Melitopol, prospect 50 richia Peremogy, 36, korp. 1, kv. 125. Accounts in social media: https://vk.com/id58013086 https://ok.ru/profile/509622764547/photos.
Iryna Benevolenska, Yulia Kostova, Krystyna Sotinova, Kateryna Drobinina – collaborators in FSIN in occupied Zaporizhzhia region, Photo: social media
