There have always been and will be only three surveillance cameras in the hospital ward of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, Chief of Kachanivska Penal Colony (Kharkiv) Ihor Kolpaschykov has said, according to the press office of the State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine.

Kolpaschykov told this to MPs who arrived in Ukrzaliznytsia's Central Clinical Hospital in Kharkiv on January 14.

"I'm struck by the comments of people's deputies who allow themselves to make statements in the media, attributing them to me. Firstly, nobody ever promised to remove any cameras from the prisoner's ward. And we had no conversations on this subject. Secondly, I won't violate the law under their political pressure and a flurry of misleading statements. I emphasize again that the cameras were legally installed in Tymoshenko's ward, as required by our regulations, which in no way are contrary to international standards," he said.

Kolpaschykov also said that there were only three cameras in the hospital ward of the former prime minister.

"There have always has been three [cameras] and their number will remain unchanged. There have never been any hidden cameras, neither in WCs or elsewhere. Spreading blatant lies on this issue is a political farce, and nothing more," he added.

As reported, on January 8, Tymoshenko declared a campaign of civil disobedience and announced this in an open letter that was read aloud by her defense lawyer, Serhiy Vlasenko.

The former prime minister said that she refused to recognize the prosecutors and investigators involved in her case and was not going to talk to them anymore. Tymoshenko also said she would not go to court voluntarily, and should they try to bring her to court by force, she would offer every resistance she could. The ex-premier also refused to go back to her hospital ward unless video surveillance and the guard are removed.