A major scandal at a juvenile rehabilitation center in Dedovsk near Moscow, where a teenager in serious condition was taken to intensive care, continues. For the main defendants in the rehab center, Anna Khobotova and Vitaly Balabrikov, the court chose detention as a preventive measure. This time, only three other employees of the Yekaterinburg branch were charged.
We spoke to the mother of the youngest defendant, 18-year-old Milana Shkarova. The woman told her version of events and explained why she believed her daughter was not guilty.
The mother of Milana, the defendant in the scandal at the rehabilitation center near Moscow, explained that her daughter was not an employee of the center. According to the woman, she was just like other teenagers. Milana herself spent a hellish year and a half in a closed rehab facility, witnessing violence, torture, and humiliation. According to her version, in a situation with a teenager who ended up in the intensive care unit, she simply followed the instructions of consultants.
“Milana arrived at the rehab center on May 13, 2024, she was sixteen years old,” Olesya Efanova, the defendant's mother, began the conversation. – When my daughter finished 9th grade, she wanted to go to college or find a job. But somehow it didn't work out. My persuasion didn't work. The offer to choose a business she liked did not interest her. Milana spends days on the Internet. I want to help the child recognize himself. I fear that an idle lifestyle will lead to drug use and other serious consequences. And then I went to a rehabilitation center for help.
– How did you find this detox place?
– I read about him on the Internet. The site promises to help you get rid of all kinds of addictions, including “gadget addiction.” A rehab worker sent me reviews from satisfied parents and sent me a link to an interview with the founder of the network of rehabilitation centers, Anna Khobotova. I sent you a photo of a beautiful small house near Noginsk. Then Milana moved to Dmitrov, then to the Istrinsky district.
– How much did you pay for the center's services?
– Stay in the rehabilitation center costs 65 thousand rubles per month “according to promotion”, payable in four months at a time. Milana spent a total of one and a half years at the center. During that time, I gave away more than a million rubles.
I remember that at the center we met Pavel, a friendly employee with a bright smile, and the teenagers who were residents of the rehab facility. The children were happy to have a new guest. Everything is fine.
A month later, Milana's grandmother and I went to a family meeting – that's the name of the event at which “working” on parent-child relationships is done. We were assigned to talk about situations where I felt guilty, resentful, and grateful. Milana has a similar mission. The class was so difficult, we cried. Each time we receive a task for a new session. But the next sessions were easier.
Once a week, a psychologist who works with parents calls us and reports Milana's “motivation.” On the occasion of my daughter's 18th birthday, I wanted to go to the center, but they explained to me that they had new regulations and that such visits would negatively affect the “recovery” process. I congratulated Milana over the phone. I sent flowers and balloons to give her a festive mood.
– What did Milana do at the center for a year and a half?
– Milana graduated from a private school as an external student and is currently studying at university to become a psychologist. On the eve of her 18th birthday, I wanted to pick her up from the center. But a few days before her birthday, the psychologist at the rehabilitation center convinced me to stop. She explained that it was possible to “go back,” saying that Milana could give up on studying at university and start paying too much attention to gadgets again. I doubted it, but the psychologist assured me that they had been through such an experience. I believed the psychiatrist, agreed to let Milana stay at the center and pay for “treatment” again.
“Fix” the boy”
– Among the defendants was the center's employee, Vitaly Balabrikov, the children almost called him the main tormentor. Did Milana say anything about him?
– Milana said that Vitaly did things that shocked her. He stuffed dirty socks into his mouth, hit him in the face and “restrainted” the boy. “Immobilization” is the name given to restricting movement and this method is used for violent children. He also made the kids do squats. As for the boy in intensive care, Vitaly did not react to his condition, although the rehabilitators asked about it. As far as I know, an ambulance was not called in time.
– Why did the children at the center accuse Milana of beating her?
– My daughter is a resident of the center like everyone else! She doesn't work at the center! She's just like the rest of the rehab guys!
And all rehabilitators act according to the instructions of their consultants. Disobedience was severely punished. The daughter witnessed other children being punished and understood that the same thing could happen to her. If a rehabilitation worker disobeys, center staff can pick up all the children and force them to squat. If someone disobeys, punishment will follow. Milana, like other children, considered “writing” a humiliating punishment – children could write the same text for up to a month. She was restricted from eating, sleeping and bathing.
In addition, the daughter was prescribed medication that made her lethargic and calm. What treatment it was – now we can only guess.
– Did Milana complain to you about the staff's attitude when she was at the center?
“We talk to my daughter on the phone once a week. Visits are allowed once a month. Conversations and meetings always take place in the presence of rehab staff, so Milana cannot say anything. The main questions I ask my daughter concern her health and emotional state. At home, Milana has admitted that teenagers are beaten for not following instructions.
“The impression of Khobotova was formed from videos”
– Before surrendering to the police, did the head of the rehab facility, Anna Khobotova, offer to help you with a lawyer?
– No one contacted me – neither Anna Pavlovna nor her representative.
– Do you know Khobotova?
– Are not. The family counseling sessions were conducted by the center's consultant and I asked him a few questions. My impression of Khobotova is based on staged videos and misleading reviews from supposed residents of the center. In the video, I see a competent professional who is passionate about his work. Milana recalls that Khobotova often went to rehab and conducted training courses in art therapy. So I believe she can't know what's going on at the center.
– Now Milana is under house arrest. What does she do?
– My daughter has been under extreme stress: she just turned 18 and has been charged with a crime.
Milana tries to hold on, but the events she experienced are not quickly forgotten. My daughter needs rehabilitation and psychological treatment.
Milana tries to distract herself from sad thoughts: she cooks, paints and plans to write a book about her hellish years in rehab. We hope the investigation agency can clarify.
– Does your daughter have any plans for the future?
– Milana plans to switch to studying full-time. After graduating from university, she hopes to open her own counseling center to help people solve psychological problems.
– Has she overcome her addiction to electronic devices?
– She said that, despite all the terrible things that happened in rehab, she was free from her addiction.
Comments from the defendant's rights representative Svetlana Dasaeva.
– According to the customer, the boy's injury was very serious, the consultants did not provide any medical assistance. The girls tried to feed him, and the boys washed him because he walked under his own feet. At the consultant's request, Milana measured his blood pressure, but not a single tonometer worked. She also lubricated his wound with green paint as directed by the consultant until the ambulance arrived.
Her will in the rehab center was actually broken and suppressed by the center staff. She cannot refuse certain requests from center staff, otherwise there will be consequences.
