GUR commander has pre-trial restriction imposed after shootout with SBU
Kyiv's Pechersk District Court on Friday, September 4, released from custody the commander of a unit of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, Serhiy Ivanov, who was served a notice of suspicion after an armed conflict between representatives of the GUR and the SBU in the capital.
Sources differ slightly on the pre-trial restriction chosen by the court. "Suspilne" reports a personal undertaking, while hromadske writes about a personal surety and clarifies that Ivanov's surety is his commander — the acting commander of one of the military units within the GUR.
Court released Ivanov from custody
After the court's decision, Ivanov was released directly in the courtroom. According to "Suspilne", the court ordered him not to communicate with witnesses in the case and to surrender his passports.
According to hromadske, Ivanov must also report any change of location and appear in court upon first demand.
The hearing on the pre-trial restriction was held in closed session. Prosecutor Oleksandr Kondratyuk asked to close the proceedings because information that is not subject to disclosure under intelligence legislation might be revealed. Lawyer Taras Borovskyi, on the contrary, insisted on an open hearing due to the significant public resonance of the case. The court granted the prosecutor's motion.
Earlier, Borovskyi said that the prosecution requested to place the GUR serviceman in custody with the possibility of posting bail in the amount of 1 million hryvnias. After the court's decision, the defense lawyer stated that Ivanov does not intend to evade the investigation and considers his further detention unwarranted.
Ivanov suspected of attempt on law enforcement officer's life
A day earlier, the State Bureau of Investigation reported suspicions against two participants in the armed incident between the SBU and the GUR.
The SBU officer was served a notice of suspicion under Part 2 of Article 365 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — abuse of power or official authority by a law enforcement officer. The GUR serviceman, who, as became known during the court hearing, is Serhiy Ivanov, — under Article 348 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine on assault on the life of a law enforcement officer.
In total, information has been entered into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations under three articles: abuse of power or official authority, threat or violence against a law enforcement officer, and assault on their life.
The SBI is establishing the circumstances of the use of firearms and the events that preceded the conflict between representatives of the two agencies on September 1–2. The procedural supervision of the investigation is carried out by the Office of the Prosecutor General.
What the SBU said about the shootout
According to the official version of the SBU, its officers were conducting urgent investigative actions as part of an investigation into a terrorist attack that, as the special service claims, was organized by the Russian FSB. During a search at one of the addresses, a group of people allegedly carried out an armed attack on the operational-investigative group and tried to block the exit of law enforcement officers with vehicles.
To stop the resistance, the SBU engaged officers of the "Alpha" Special Operations Center, who used weapons. As a result, several people were injured. Later, law enforcement officers stated that the participants in the conflict who opposed the SBU officers belong to one of the units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
The SBU also reported that it had previously, together with the GUR, prevented a terrorist attack prepared by the Russian special service against one of the leaders of the Russian opposition movement who had arrived in Ukraine for Independence Day.
Conflict linked to the case of a RDK representative
The background of the incident is connected with the deputy commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps, Stepan Kaplunov. On September 1, the RDK announced his disappearance. Later, Kaplunov himself claimed that he was detained by people who identified themselves as law enforcement officers and held against his will.
The SBU, for its part, stated that Kaplunov allegedly maintained contact with the FSB and received tasks from the Russian special service, including those related to preparing an assassination and murder of Ukrainian servicemen. Kaplunov and his lawyer dispute these circumstances: the defense claims that the published confessions were obtained under pressure.
After the armed conflict, President Volodymyr Zelenskyi announced personnel decisions in both agencies. According to him, the deputy heads of the SBU and the GUR, who should be responsible for what happened, will be dismissed, and the actions of the leadership of the agencies should be assessed based on the results of official investigations.
Based on materials from: Slidstvo.Info, Suspilne, hromadske, SBI
