Investigation established that the Monolit network under Kyrylo Pakhomov's leadership sold imported equipment without customs clearance, accepting payment in cryptocurrency and cash.
Volodymyr Medinsky announced an agreement between Ukraine and the Russian Federation on the return of prisoners, though operation details remain undisclosed.
The State Bureau of Investigation refused to name the physical security personnel of Director Oleksiy Sukhachov, claiming it could threaten staff safety.
Oleksandr Pluhatarov, who held the position of head of an occupation enterprise, was killed in a UAV strike.
Prime Minister reported strikes on energy infrastructure in Vinnytsia, Kirovohrad, Zhytomyr and Cherkasy regions. Railway, school and residential buildings also damaged, with casualties reported.
Crew of Russian attack helicopter killed in Leningrad Oblast, likely due to friendly fire while repelling UAV attack.
The leader of the band Vopli Vidoplyasova suggested in a conversation with a journalist that the Russian authorities may have had an interest in the musician's death to use his image in propaganda.
Court suspended decisions on demolishing the object at Victory Square. Cassation proceedings were halted pending a legal conclusion in another case.
Oleg Skripka, the leader of the band Vopli Vidoplyasova, shared his view on the circumstances of the death of Andriy Kuzmenko, known as Kuzma Skryabin. The musician suggested that representatives of Russian intelligence services may have been involved in his friend's death.
Speaking with journalist Vasyl Tymoshenko, Skripka answered the question of whether the accident was a coincidence or a murder. He expressed the idea that the Russian authorities may have had their own interest in the musician's death.
«Я думаю, що це був фатум. Як воно сталося – я не знаю. Або його кремлівці вбили. Він загинув, це дійсно була трагедія, і кремлівці використали цей феномен – що він був борцем проти бандерівської влади, і це спрацювало в іншу сторону. Тобто люди його сприйняли як позитивного героя, як Че Гевару, тому що люди потребували такого образу» (I think it was fate. How it happened – I don't know. Or the Kremlin people killed him. He died, it really was a tragedy, and the Kremlin people used this phenomenon – that he was a fighter against the Bandera regime, and it worked in the opposite direction. That is, people perceived him as a positive hero, like Che Guevara, because people needed such an image), the performer emphasised.
According to Skripka, there was another version of the enemy's actions: the Russians may have calculated that Kuzma's death would allow them to form a symbol of resistance to the so-called "Bandera regime" in Ukraine. However, as the interlocutor noted, this plan failed because society responded in the exact opposite way – the artist came to be considered a positive hero.
In addition to political suspicions, Oleg Skripka recalled the personal character traits of his friend. He described Kuzma Skryabin as an extremely communicative person who had the ability to find common ground with representatives of the most diverse social strata.
«Він дуже емпатичним і комунікабельним був. У нього була властивість знайти спільну мову з будь-якою людиною. І він був абсолютно не егоїстичним, і товаришував з багатьма: і з музикантами, і з олігархами» (He was very empathetic and communicative. He had the ability to find common ground with any person. And he was absolutely not selfish, and he was friends with many: both musicians and oligarchs), Skripka recalled.
Andriy Kuzmenko died on 2 February 2015 as a result of a road traffic accident near the village of Lozuvatka in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. The day before, the band "Skryabin" had held a concert in Kryvyi Rih dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the collective. The next morning, the musician was returning to Kyiv driving a Toyota Sequoia SUV.
At around 8:20, his car collided with a milk tanker. According to the official version, the SUV crossed into the oncoming lane due to difficult weather conditions. Kuzma died at the scene of the accident. He was buried on 5 February at the Brukhovetsky Cemetery near Lviv.
Doubts about the accidental nature of the tragedy persist among the musician's closest relatives. Andriy's mother, Olha Kuzmenko, did not believe in a simple road accident until the end of her life. She drew attention to possible artificial technical malfunctions of the car and a previous incident: in 2014, a wheel of his car fell off while driving, which nearly led to his death.
The musician's father, Viktor Kuzmenko, also believes that the circumstances of his son's death were not fully clarified. He claims that the investigation was conducted with insufficient thoroughness.
«Ну, тут справа дуже темна і якогось такого нормального розслідування не було. Все було якось так пущено на самоплив» (Well, the matter here is very murky and there was no such normal investigation. Everything was somehow left to drift), the man stated.
At the same time, Viktor Kuzmenko admitted that the family does not have direct evidence of deliberate murder, so he assesses the probability of such a scenario as 50-50. He explained that relatives did not insist on continuing the investigation due to fear for the lives of the musician's wife and daughter, who remained in Kyiv.
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first!