Court doesn't arrest SBU officer in case over conflict with GUR

The Pechersk District Court of Kyiv on Friday, September 4, imposed on Nazar Verkhola, an officer of the Security Service of Ukraine, a pre-trial restriction in the form of personal surety. He is one of the suspects in a case about an armed conflict between representatives of the SBU and the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense in Kyiv.

The head of the SBU counterintelligence department became the guarantor for Verkhola. Meanwhile, prosecutors asked the court to remand the suspect in custody with the possibility of posting bail in the amount of 1 million hryvnias. The prosecution side has not yet decided on a possible appeal.

The hearing was held in a closed session at the request of the prosecutor.

Verkhola is suspected of abuse of authority

The State Bureau of Investigation reported suspicions to two participants in the armed incident on September 3. 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. A GUR serviceman was notified of suspicion under Article 348 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – encroachment on the life of a law enforcement officer.

Overall, the investigation is being conducted under three articles of the Criminal Code: abuse of power or official authority, threat or violence against a law enforcement officer, and also encroachment on his life.

SBI investigators are establishing all the circumstances of the use of firearms, as well as the events that preceded the conflict on September 1–2 in one of the residential areas of Kyiv. Procedural guidance is provided by the Office of the Prosecutor General.

What is known about shootings between SBU and GUR

According to the SBU, its officers were carrying out urgent investigative actions as part of an investigation into the preparation of a terrorist attack organized by the Russian FSB. The intelligence agency claimed that during a search at one of the addresses, a group of people carried out an armed attack on the operational-investigative group.

The SBU stated that its officers used weapons to stop the resistance. As a result, several people were injured. According to the intelligence agency, the people who offered resistance belong to one of the units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine.

The conflict occurred against the background of an investigation into Stepan Kaplunov, deputy commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps. The SBU asserts that he had contacts with the FSB and received tasks from the Russian intelligence agency related to preparing an attempt on the life and murder of Ukrainian servicemen. Kaplunov himself and his lawyer dispute these accusations.

Earlier on September 4, the Pechersk District Court also imposed a pre-trial restriction on GUR serviceman Serhiy Ivanov, who is the second suspect in the case.

Source: Suspilne, Slidstvo.Info, SBI