The Sviatoshynskyi District Court of Kyiv has altered the preventive measure for Alexander Ozhyhanov, the alleged leader of the Kryvyi Rih drug syndicate «Dvadtsyativski,» along with three accomplices, releasing them from custody on 998,400 UAH bail. The release of the suspects—who face charges of large-scale psychotropic drug distribution and creating a criminal organization—has raised concerns in law enforcement due to the unusually low bail amount given the scope of the case.
Alongside Ozhyhanov, known by the alias «Semen,» the court released co-defendants Platon Kalyushyk, Artur Hnezdovskyi, and Vitalii Skibitskyi. All four are charged with forming a criminal organization (Part 1, Article 255 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) and the illegal production and distribution of drugs on an exceptionally large scale (Part 3, Article 307 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The ruling was delivered by Judge Oksana Poplavska.
According to sources within law enforcement, the judicial proceedings remained stalled at the preliminary stage for over two years. The court is currently considering motions to lift the seizure on the defendants’ assets, which are valued at more than 45 million UAH.
«The drug network operated a large-scale infrastructure: the production capacity of its laboratories allowed for the manufacture of up to 40 kilograms of psychotropic substances monthly,» law enforcement records state.
According to security forces, the «Dvadtsyativski» gang is one of the oldest criminal syndicates in Kryvyi Rih, operating since the 1990s. The network comprised at least six organized groups that effectively monopolized the local illicit drug market.
In addition to Ozhyhanov, investigators identify key leadership figures as Andrii Kiryeyev («Pushkin»), Oleksandr Sukhomlyn («Bilyi»), Yevhen Kachkovskyi («Morda»), and Serhiy Rumyantsev («Zayets»). Legal proceedings in the case remain ongoing