Ex-SSO commander Shevchenko reveals attempt to recruit Ochakiv mayor

Task to recruit the Ochakiv mayor

Eduard Shevchenko, who was found guilty of treason by the Zavodskyi District Court of Mykolaiv, detailed an episode involving an attempt to recruit the leadership of Ochakiv in the documentary "Vot Tak" by Polish public broadcaster TVP. According to him, while serving as head of the security and surveillance department of the housing and communal services administration of the Ochakiv City Council, he received a task from Serhiy Kolesnikov to recruit city head Serhiy Bychkov to ensure his loyalty. Kolesnikov is a native of Ukraine with Russian citizenship and the rank of captain of the first rank.

Shevchenko stated that during a direct conversation in the city council premises, he informed Bychkov that representatives of the Russian Federation wanted to speak with him. Afterwards, Shevchenko reported to Kolesnikov that the mayor was "остерігається дуже сильно" (extremely wary) and suggested conducting contacts through himself. The Security Service of Ukraine had already informed about this recruitment attempt at the time of the suspect's detention in March 2023. At that time, Shevchenko claimed to be surprised by this information and called Bychkov the most effective mayor of all those who had served in Ochakiv.

Law enforcement reaction and assessment of the mayor's actions

Denys Zhelo, deputy head of the public oversight council at the BES (Bureau of Economic Security), noted that Serhiy Bychkov "дружив по всіх напрямках" (was friends in all directions) with Russian intelligence agent Shevchenko. Meanwhile, law enforcement representatives emphasised that they have no claims against the mayor himself. During one of the court hearings, a fragment of a dialogue between Bychkov and the Russian side, which took place under SBU surveillance, was played.

Vitaliy Kim, head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration, expressed the assumption that the mayor does not address the community or report on his work because he is a "непублічна людина" (private person). Bychkov repeatedly failed to appear for court interrogations. Judge Iryna Bobrova noted the inexplicability of his frequent stays abroad against the backdrop of daily shelling of the city. Only after several repeated summons did the mayor appear for an interrogation on 12 February.

Details from the TVP film and case status

The documentary "Vot Tak" featured archival footage for the first time showing Shevchenko's detention in 2023 and his time in a pre-trial detention centre. Shevchenko himself categorically denies his guilt. After the verdict was issued by the Zavodskyi District Court of Mykolaiv, he filed an appeal. The appeal hearing at the Odesa Court of Appeal, which was scheduled for September, was postponed.

Oleksiy Vasykov, deputy mayor of Ochakiv, suggested in the film that Shevchenko had been communicating with his former classmates and service colleagues unconsciously. The documentary is dedicated to the story of the former commander of the 73rd Naval Centre of the Special Operations Forces.