Lived in container, washed in lake. In Lviv Region, man was held in labor slavery for 23 years

In Horodok, Lviv Region, a man was held in forced labor for almost 23 years: the victim lived in a container without heating and electricity, and washed in a lake. He was released in 2025.

This was reported by the Prosecutor General's Office.

According to the investigation, in 2002, a woman asked the entrepreneur to help her 47-year-old brother with alcohol addiction find a job and housing. After that, the man was offered to work on the farm and given housing.

At first, he was able to move around and maintain contact with relatives, but later these opportunities were limited. The payment for labor was made in the form of food, cigarettes and a place to live.

The man worked on construction sites, harvested firewood, mowed grass and tended to the garden. From March to October, he also worked as a security guard at the site and looked after the animals.

In Horodok, he lived in a room in an outbuilding with a concrete floor without water supply. There was no kitchen. The room was heated by a potbelly stove, but the room did not retain heat because the door did not close properly. At another location, a metal container without windows, electricity and heating served as housing. He took water from a spring and washed in a lake.

The man's documents were taken away. When he complained of illnesses, he was not treated. He was often beaten with a stick or verbally humiliated.

In September 2025, the man was released. At the time of his release, he was 71 years old. A medical examination revealed chronic diseases, hand injuries and missing teeth, and a psychiatric examination revealed a deterioration in his psycho-emotional state and social adaptation. He is currently in a geriatric facility.

The entrepreneur is charged with Part 2 of Article 149 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (human trafficking). The sanction of the article provides for a penalty of imprisonment for a term of 5 to 12 years.

Recall that in the Kyiv Region, a criminal group under the cover of a rehabilitation center forcibly detained 58 people, who were beaten and on whom potent drugs were used, with subsequent coercion to hard physical labor. The organizer and accomplices were reported on suspicion of human trafficking and torture.