Fate under house arrest

In Ukrainian judicial practice, things happen that many consider impossible: a defendant in a criminal case, who is under a preventive measure, can be mobilized and sent to the front. This is exactly what happened to former policeman Ivan Prikhodko, who is accused of the death of 5-year-old Kirill Tlyavov.

On March 19, 2026, Prikhodko was mobilized into the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Prior to this, he was under house arrest as part of a lengthy court process. Despite the fact that the man had a third child, he did not apply for a deferment from mobilization.

How the mobilization took place

According to lawyer Viktor Chevguz, Prikhodko was detained right on the street. He was sent to a military unit where his phone was confiscated. His wife only found out about her husband's fate a few days later.

Currently, Prikhodko is in the combat zone in the Donetsk region. At the last hearing of the Kyiv Court of Appeal on June 5, the lawyer presented a certificate from the unit commander confirming the defendant's enrollment in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The lawyer asked the court to suspend the appellate consideration of the case until the end of the war or until the defendant is demobilized.

Reaction of the deceased's family

Elvira Lazarenko, a representative of Kirill Tlyavov's family, considers Prikhodko's mobilization an attempt to evade responsibility. In her opinion, no one knows how long the war will last, and such a move could be a way to drag out the process.

«I think that in this way he is trying to avoid punishment, as there is a risk that the appellate court will overturn the verdict on the more serious charge of hooliganism», — Lazarenko explained.

The family of the deceased child intends to appeal to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the military unit with a request to cancel the order on Prikhodko's mobilization.

What's next?

The Prosecutor's Office will take over the verification of the facts of Prikhodko's service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and his ability to participate in court hearings in an online format. After that, the court will decide how to proceed: continue the hearings, suspend consideration only with respect to Prikhodko, or put the entire case on hold until the end of hostilities.

Brief history of the case

On May 31, 2019, four men, two of whom were active police officers, were drinking alcohol and shooting firearms at metal cans in the city of Pereiaslav. One of the bullets hit 5-year-old Kirill Tlyavov, who was walking in the neighboring yard. The boy died in the hospital on June 3.

In 2023, the court of first instance sentenced Prikhodko to four years in prison. The case is currently at the stage of appellate consideration.