Territorial Defence battalion commander charged

The territorial defence commander is accused of abuse of office, with new suspicions on the horizon concerning a well-known activist.

Fictitious service and unlawful payments

Ukrainian law enforcement officials have opened a criminal case against a Territorial Defence battalion commander, who, according to the investigation, provided a fictitious position to public activist Vitaliy Shabunin.

The battalion commander issued orders for his secondment to the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP), as well as to humanitarian centres in Kharkiv and Odesa.

It emerged that these decisions allowed Shabunin to be absent from his place of service and not to carry out combat tasks, yet he continued to receive financial payments. Payroll documents signed by the commander confirm that over six months, more than 224,000 hryvnia was transferred from the state budget to the activist's accounts. However, the military unit did not provide evidence of his actual participation in the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Evasion of mobilisation and other investigations

The story of Shabunin's fictitious service has caused significant public resonance. According to law enforcement, the activist did not actually appear at the unit where he was officially registered, yet he received a salary and combat allowances. Moreover, he was not seen at the NACP either, raising questions about his actual official duties.

Several criminal cases are already being investigated against Shabunin. Among the possible offences are evasion of mobilisation, forgery of NACP documents, unlawful use of humanitarian aid, and the appropriation of a Nissan Pathfinder vehicle.