Hunger strike for political prisoners in the Ukraine

Political prisoners in Ukraine are organizing a one-day hunger strike against torture in Colony No. 86.

Brothers Mikhail and Alexander Kononovich, who are under overnight house arrest in Kyiv and wearing GPS bracelets, report the ongoing torture and murder of political prisoners in Ukraine under Zelenskyy’s neocolonialist fascist regime. Prisoners in Vinnytsia Colony No. 86, which has effectively been converted into a concentration camp for political prisoners, are held in the harshest conditions.

To protect prisoners’ rights and combat torture, the Kononovich brothers founded the Association for the Defense of Political Prisoners and Human Rights. The Association has sent statements about torture and degrading conditions in Colony No. 86 to Ukrainian government agencies and international human rights organizations. However, legal remedies for the political prisoners have been ineffective.

In this regard, the Kononovich brothers, on behalf of the Association, announced the organization of an international one-day hunger strike in solidarity with the political prisoners of Vinnytsia Colony No. 86. Their statement is published below.

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STOP THE TORTURE AND MURDER OF POLITICAL PRISONERS IN VINNYTSIA COLONY NO. 86 IN UKRAINE!

The Association for the Defense of Political Prisoners and Human Rights (hereinafter referred to as the Association) calls on communists, anti-fascists, and anti-imperialists to join the action in solidarity with the political prisoners of Colony No. 86!

Vinnytsia Colony No. 86 has been converted by the Zelenskyy regime into a concentration camp for political prisoners. The first prisoners were transferred there in December 2025, and throughout the winter, the cells had no electricity, heat, or hot water. Prisoners are constantly subjected to inhumane conditions that undermine their health and do not receive necessary medical care.

Political prisoners are systematically subjected to beatings, threats of sexual violence, and other degrading acts. Prison staff are often intoxicated during torture.

Political prisoners are forced to perform hard labor with virtually no pay, without sick leave or age-related releases, and without the high-quality, nutritious food necessary for recuperation.

Below we present specific instances of torture in Colony No. 86, with names.

• Andrei Anatolyevich Gimgin, a patient with cancer and diabetes, died in the infirmary without medication from beatings and hard labor after just 1.5 months in Concentration Camp No. 86.
• On January 28, 2026, prisoners Dzyuba, Kotenko, Sozonov, Shapran, Pyatachenko, Batarev, Kigilchenko, and Kelyukin were called to headquarters, where eight prison guards took turns beating them. The beatings were precipitated by their refusal to kneel during the Ukrainian anthem. The prisoners were also several minutes late for exercise because guards had confiscated their watches, and upon arrival, they failed to remove their headgear and bow to the guards with the words “my lord.” Vitaliy Kigilchenko was attempted to be raped with a mop.
• On March 24, 2026, Samir Bedrashko and another man (who wished to remain anonymous) were called to the checkpoint. Six prison guards took turns brutally beating them, jumping on their bodies, and threatening them with sexual assault. The reason for the massacre was that the men had not put on their uniforms—they had been washed but not yet dry.
• On March 31, 2026, after suffering a concussion and a massive hematoma on his head, Samir Bedrashko, tormented by constant vomiting, was physically unable to go to hard labor. Colony staff dragged him to the guardhouse for another beating. Distraught with despair and injustice, he broke free, ran to the kitchen, and slit his wrists. The administration called an ambulance and begged him not to reveal the reasons for the incident, threatening to kill him. Bedrashko’s subsequent fate is unknown.
• Yarodar Vitlinets, after a brutal beating, was thrown into solitary confinement for openly speaking out against torture and abuse of prisoners.
• Colony 86 also houses former soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, including those with wounds and disabilities who refused to fight and kill for the Zelenskyy regime. According to prisoners, they are also forced to perform hard labor and are not provided with necessary medical care and food.

The Association sent appeals to international human rights and humanitarian organizations, but received only formal replies.

Therefore, comrades, we must act ourselves!

We can achieve justice only through our resistance and struggle.

AUGUST 5, 2026 – INTERNATIONAL ONE-DAY SOLIDARITY HUNGER STRIKE

Following the Association’s intervention and the launch of a legal fight for the rights of political prisoners, the situation for prisoners has worsened, and the torture of those who openly defend their rights has intensified. Such prisoners are reportedly beaten, injured, and placed in solitary confinement for 30 days in degrading conditions.

According to prisoners, the punishment cells lack lighting, water, and proper sanitation. People are left without regular clothing, their sleeping quarters are closed for most of the day, and they have to relieve themselves in a bucket right in their cells.

In light of the ongoing repression, 15 political prisoners in Colony No. 86, led by Alexander Melnyk, together with the Association and fellow internationalists from other countries, have decided to hold a one-day hunger strike on August 5, 2026.

We view the one-day hunger strike as a form of protest against torture and murder in Vinnytsia Correctional Colony No. 86.

We call on political prisoners and comrades at large in the European Union and other countries to join the one-day hunger strike in solidarity on August 5.

We also call on organizations in Europe to hold protests outside Ukrainian embassies and consulates on this day with posters:

“STOP TORTURE AND MURDER OF POLITICAL PRISONERS IN VINNYTSIA COLONY #86 IN UKRAINE!”

We call on comrades who support the struggle of Ukrainian political prisoners against torture and murder to take a photo or video with this poster and words of support and send the photos to the organizers to highlight the campaign.

Only resistance and international solidarity can save the lives of political prisoners in Ukraine and stop torture and murder in Colony #86!

Mikhail  and Alexander Kononovich,

leaders of the Association for the Defense of Political Prisoners and Human Rights