Semyon Semenchenko was placed under round-the-clock house arrest/Self Help
The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense asked to release Semyon Semenchenko, commander of the “Donbass” battalion, who is under house arrest, to defend Ukraine. arrest. But the head of the GUR, Kirill Budanov, vouched for him and asked him to go to war.
The GUR wants Semenchenko to help defend Ukraine
It turned out that Budanov wrote a response letter on June 13. He stated that Semenchenko “possesses high organizational qualities, successfully acted as a unit commander, led and directly organized the defense of settlements and territories”, therefore “now his organizational skills will benefit the country and defense.”
He pointed out that Semenchenko is accused of crimes not related to a threat to the life and health of citizens, and his guilt has not been proven. If Semenchenko is released from custody, the GUR promises to make sure that he arrives at the military unit and goes to the front, and after the end of hostilities, he is ready to guarantee Semenchenko's participation in the trials.
Budanov noted that Semenchenko had repeatedly stated about the desire to participate in the defense of the state. And most of the defendants in this case are already fulfilling their duty to defend Ukraine with weapons in their hands in official units.
The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense initiated consideration of the issue of changing the measure of restraint and including Semenchenko in the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for the defense of states, since it believes that the benefits of Semenchenko in the Armed Forces of Ukraine prevail over the risks of avoiding responsibility.
Will Semenchenko go to the war is still unclear
On June 21, the Kyiv Court of Appeal partially accepted the appeal of Semenchenko's lawyer and agreed to release him under round-the-clock house arrest. He was entrusted with the duty to arrive at the request of the court and refrain from communicating with witnesses.
The full court decision will be made public on June 23. The ruling is valid for 60 days, that is, until August 19, 2022.
The Semenchenko case: what is known
- On September 29, the SBU announced that they had completed the pre-trial investigation in the proceedings in against 9 people, including ex-people's deputy Semyon Semenchenko.
- He is suspected of organizing an illegal armed group that operated in Kyiv and the region in 2018. This formation had a training base and a whole warehouse of weapons and explosives.
- The Office of the Prosecutor General said that the participants of the July 2019 formation fired an anti-tank grenade launcher at the building of one of the pro-Russian TV channels in Kyiv. The action was qualified as a terrorist act.
- In addition, Semenchenko and NABU freelance agent Yevgeny Shevchenko are suspected of organizing and implementing an illegal scheme to import military spare parts and dual-use goods from Russia outside customs control, which were later sold to state defense enterprises at inflated prices.
- The investigators also claim that they have information about the participation of the defendants in the case in the conclusion of contracts between “PVK” and representatives of various organizations in the Middle East, and there are recorded proposals for organizing the illegal supply of weapons to these countries.< /li>
- Semenchenko does not admit his guilt. In protest, he went hungry. On September 27, he lost consciousness in the SBU detention center. After that, he was transferred to the Lukyanovka SIZO.
