Ukrainian law enforcement agencies have exposed three active members of the military service of a separate assault regiment who, according to the investigation, organized and carried out a provocation against former battalion commander of the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade 'Magura,' Artem Shyrshyn. This was announced by Acting Head of the National Police Maksym Tsytskyridze and the Office of the Prosecutor General, as reported by RBC-Ukraine. According to the investigation, the suspects previously served in law enforcement agencies and are now serving in one of the brigades of the Defense Forces, and they acted in collusion with other persons who have not yet been identified.

The Essence of the Case

According to the investigation, a carefully planned scheme was built against Shyrshyn. First, the suspects illegally monitored him and collected confidential information. Then, on the night of August 27 to 28, they broke into the victim's car in Kharkiv and planted about 30 packets of cannabis and the substance PVP inside it. On August 28, the men passed a tip-off to the patrol police claiming that the former combatant was transporting drugs. The car was stopped on Koooperatyvna Street, and upon inspection, the planted substances were indeed found inside.

Charges and Procedural Status

The three servicemen were notified of suspicion under several articles of the Criminal Code: illegal intrusion into a dwelling, illegal collection of confidential information about a person, drug trafficking by prior conspiracy, as well as incitement to bring a known innocent person to criminal liability. As of the time of publication, a motion for the detention of the suspects is being prepared. The investigation is being conducted by the Anti-Corruption Department (NABU) under the procedural supervision of the Office of the Prosecutor General.

Contradictory Data

The versions of the parties in this case diverged at various stages. Initially, at the end of August, the police in Kharkiv stopped the serviceman's car and publicly announced the seizure of drugs, i.e., presented the event as the result of a legitimate check. Shyrshyn himself, on the contrary, from the very beginning called what happened a planned provocation and claimed that the prohibited substances were planted on him. The National Police then promised to immediately verify the operational information of the Military Law Enforcement Service regarding the serviceman, including establishing how exactly it had appeared. The outcome of the investigation effectively confirmed the victim's version: the prosecution classified the actions of the three soldiers as planting and provocation, rather than a lawful seizure. Thus, the law enforcement officers' initial wording of 'seizure' and the victim's version of planting only coincided at the stage of notifying suspicion.

Context: Criticism of the Command

The scandal around Shyrshyn erupted against the backdrop of the former 'Magura' combat commander publicly criticizing the command. According to a number of observers, this position could have been the motive for organizing a provocation against him. The victim himself consistently insisted that the drug case was fabricated, and his words were subsequently confirmed in the investigation materials.

What Comes Next

Currently, the prosecution is preparing a motion for the detention of the three suspects, as well as continuing to establish the circle of accomplices — the case materials mention 'other persons who have not yet been identified.' Procedural supervision is carried out by the Office of the Prosecutor General, while the direct investigation is conducted by NABU. The outcome of the case and the court's decision on the preventive measure may become a precedent in cases of intra-army provocations against servicemen who criticize the command.