Children are being used as pawns in a land scheme: new details emerge from the scandal surrounding the Novoselskaya special school.

Lawyer Inna Miroshnichenko stated that the land of the Novoselskaya Special School under the Ternopil Regional Council is being used by a "local-level oligarch," who has resorted to threats. This information was shared in her post on Instagram dated November 19.

"The police in Ternopil reported that the allegations of violence have not been confirmed. Everything is fine at the boarding school. This was completely predictable because the volunteers and mentors of the children who faced violence had already reported to the police, and they were told the same thing," the lawyer wrote.

She informed that the special school once received 19 hectares of agricultural land from the state. These areas are exempt from taxation, and they are being used "almost for free" by the husband of the deputy director of the institution and a local agribusiness magnate.

"He 'controls' the entire 'district' there. Most people who were willing to testify are afraid. Because they have to live there. They fear for their lives. Some local-level oligarch is instilling fear in several villages! There are people he has already threatened, but I am not afraid," Miroshnichenko noted.

According to her, the special school is organizing a rally in Ternopil. The aim is to show that "everyone there is happy." The lawyer explained that there are children in the institution who are simultaneously registered in foster families or family-type children's homes and sent to the boarding school. Both groups receive funding for the children. Miroshnichenko suggested that these foster parents would participate in the action.

"Because who would want to go to jail for exploiting children?! Not to mention that these children could have been placed in a family! Instead, they are being exploited twice for enrichment. Children are rotting in the boarding school, facing violence, because they were placed with the wrong guardians," she emphasized.

The lawyer clarified that this concerns foster parents who have legal rights to the children but "forgot" to take them out of the system. That is, for example, they officially have 7 children on paper but are only raising one, as the others live in the special school.

Miroshnichenko stated that children should not be deliberately kept in the institution while someone builds an agro-empire. According to her, children complained that their parents were being blackmailed.

"Either you send someone to the boarding school, or we will take all your children away," the human rights advocate conveyed.

Police Response

The press service of the Ternopil police assured on November 19 that investigators have opened cases due to violations of children's rights at the Novoselskaya Special School.

There are four articles involved:

• improper performance of professional duties regarding the protection of the life and health of minors, resulting from negligent treatment, causing significant harm to health;
• illegal placement of a healthy person in a psychiatric institution;
• sexual violence;
• abuse of power for the purpose of obtaining illegal benefits for oneself, using one's official position against the interests of the service.

"Currently, investigative actions are being conducted within the framework of criminal proceedings, and appropriate examinations have been appointed," the agency assured.

Response from the Special School

In a comment to "Ukrainska Pravda," the director of the institution, Daria Komenda, confirmed that the land is being used by a local businessman.

"He is an agrarian who works with many people and has never threatened anyone. We have a cooperation agreement with him," she explained.

Komenda described the areas as "hills where nothing grows" and complained that no farmers wanted to cultivate them except for this one entrepreneur.

"We have accounts to which he transfers money every year, but he gives more than to other shareholders. Last year, he even gifted us a car," the director shared.

She denied any violence within the special school and stated that the administration plans to "take legal action." Details about the reasons for the lawsuit could not be clarified by journalists, as the interlocutor unexpectedly ended the phone conversation.

Recall that lawyer Inna Miroshnichenko published photos from the Novoselskaya Special School, criticizing the living conditions for children with hot water on a strict schedule, broken furniture, and hot water for lunch that was referred to as "compote." At the same time, alcohol was found in one of the classrooms, and remnants of a banquet in another.

Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets stated that the special school was decided to be inspected after reports of violence against children. The commission discovered a number of violations. In particular, a child with allergies often went hungry in the evenings, and children were not allowed into the classroom for cooking lessons, as the administration held "celebrations" there.