You're reading: Victim clings to life as men face charges (VIDEOS)

Oksana Makar case generates wide interest.

Oksana Makar, an 18-year-old woman gang raped by three men who then set her on fire and buried her alive, remains hospitalized in critical condition. The Mykolayiv victim has had her feet and one arm amputated, while she undergoes operations almost daily.

The horrifying March 8 crime has prompted a flood of international publicity and offers of financial help. It may not be enough.

Emil Fistal, the head of the Donetsk Burn Center where Makar is being treated, gives her little chance to survive. She reportedly remains unconscious most of the time after suffering severe burns and internal injuries.

Her mother was able on March 18 to record a short video of her daughter saying she wants her rapists to be castrated and imprisoned.

New details of the crime were revealed after the video of one of the three suspects’ interrogation leaked on the Internet. The three men have been charged with rape in the ongoing investigation.

While officials have not named the suspects, local media have identified them as Yevhen Krasnoschek, 23; Maksym Prisyazhnyuk, 24; and Artem Pogosyan, 22.


The video of Oksana Makar’s conversation with her mother in the hospital.

In the leaked video, the suspect, apparently Krasnoschek, describes calmly how he raped and then choked the woman first with his hands and then with a cable. He claims he didn’t set the woman on fire after the three men – thinking she was dead – took her body to an abandoned building nearby.

He says he was only trying to burn a pillowcase they had accidentally taken with them. According to the video, after disposing of Makar, the three suspects went to the supermarket to buy more vodka and, after that, stopped at a street kiosk for tea.

All three suspects were arrested on March 10 but two were quickly released.

After a public outcry, both suspects were re-arrested on March 13. The re-arrested suspect, reportedly Prisyazhnyuk, used to work as a lawyer for the Mykolayiv city council.

Emil Fistal, the head of the Donetsk Burn Center where Makar is being treated, gives her little chance to survive.

The crime triggered a public debate over many issues – from the victim’s character to the need for the death penalty to the impunity and cruelty with which well-connected people behave in Ukraine.

The suspects are said to be related to influential local ex-officials.

The crime happened on International Women’s Day, one of the more revered holidays in Ukraine. The victim left a bar with her future rapists, reportedly shortly after meeting them.

A bartender in the Mykolayiv establishment described Makar on Russian First TV channel as a frequent customer who was not shy about approaching other patrons.

Leaked video of Evhen Krasnoschek‘s interrogation, where he describes his crime in details.

In the meantime, Makar’s mother, Tetyana Surovitska said that several fraudulent bank accounts have been established trading on Oksana’s name. Despite that, more than Hr 600,000 flooded Surovitska’s account within 10 days after people learned of the tragedy.

The suspects’ families, meanwhile, are being ostracized in the community.

Alleged suspect Krasnoschek’s mother reportedly attempted suicide.

The mother of another reported suspect, Pogosyan, is said to have suffered a heart attack. Before that, she told a Russian TV show that – if her son is proven guilty – she wants him imprisoned.

But the mother expressed concern about the fairness of the investigation.

The mother of Prisyazhnyuk says her son is innocent.

Money to help Makar and her relatives can be directed to her mother’s bank account: Privat Bank, 6762462057463702, Tetyana Surovitskaya.

Kyiv Post staff writer Olga Rudenko can be reached at [email protected]