Olena Zaitseva, a participant in a high-profile traffic accident in Kharkiv, sentenced in February 2019 to 10 years in prison, tried to be released early, but the court refused. She is currently serving her sentence in a colony in Sumy region.
According to sources, Zaitseva's behavior is assessed as not bad: she works and has an incentive. The panel of judges rejected her request for parole in 2024, noting that it was inappropriate at this stage.
The convicted woman's lawyer refrained from commenting on the possibility of a new attempt by Zaitseva.
The mother of one of the victims of the accident, Svitlana Vinichenko, reported that she receives symbolic payments from Zaitseva: the latest amounts were 995 hryvnias per six months. She considers such payments humiliating and doubts her belief in the convict's remorse.
Representatives of the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights visited the colony and reported that it has residential and production areas, separate detention of convicts, sanitary rooms, a kitchen, and recreation areas with televisions and even an aquarium.
Serhiy Starenky, former head of the State Penitentiary Service, noted that Zaitseva may apply to the court with a new request for early release next year.
The accident involving Zaitseva occurred on October 18, 2017 in the center of Kharkiv. Six people died and several others were injured. The court sentenced Zaitseva and the second driver, Gennady Dronov, to 10 years in prison.
