Court sentences volunteer Oleksandr Chernov to four years for storing munitions

Ukrainian volunteer Oleksandr Chernov, described as the first person to report possible financial abuses in the Slava Ukraini charity fund, has been sentenced to four years in prison. The basis for the punishment is the storage of munitions. However, Estonian volunteer Ilmar Raag, who passed on information about the scandal, is convinced that the case was fabricated.

Timeline of events surrounding the investigation

According to Raag, after Chernov provided the Estonian side with data on possible embezzlement of funds, representatives of the fund began receiving questions about his activities. In particular, attention was drawn to Slava Ukraini director Johanna-Maria Lehtme, who currently has the status of a suspect. The volunteer claims that after these events, Chernov began to face persecution.

Raag recounts that the very next day after the information was handed over, someone hacked Chernov's computer and read his correspondence with the Estonians. On the same day, he says, the volunteer's status as a humanitarian worker in the "Shliakh" system was cancelled, and a manager surnamed Vaskiv ordered him to deliver cargo to Bakhmut. At that time, the city was under active shelling, and Chernov's Estonian colleagues were told that he could die from a "stray bullet".

Discovery of weapons and obstacles to testimony

Chernov decided to wait out the crisis in Pavlohrad, where his relatives lived. Meanwhile, in Estonia, information about the possible embezzlement became public, causing a resonance. Local law enforcement intended to question Chernov as a key witness.

On 8 May 2023, the parties discussed Chernov's trip to Estonia to give testimony to the police. The very next day, Johanna-Maria Lehtme announced the resignation of her parliamentary powers, and the Estonian prosecution opened a criminal case against her.

However, on 12 May 2023, Dnipro police found an RPG-26 grenade launcher, four F-1 grenades, and two RGD-5 grenade bodies in a Mitsubishi Colt car used by Chernov. This effectively ruined the plans to travel abroad for testimony.

Defence position and the further fate of the defendants

Ilmar Raag admits that he does not know all the details of what happened, but considers the circumstances of the munitions discovery suspicious. He emphasises that it is unclear why a person preparing for a trip abroad would store weapons in the trunk of a small car parked in a residential complex courtyard.

The volunteer also casts doubt on the case's evidentiary base. According to him, one of the key pieces of evidence for the prosecution was fingerprints, which, in the defence's opinion, were obtained in violation of established requirements. Despite this, a re-examination was allegedly not ordered. In addition, Raag claims that the munitions found were later destroyed.

The court's verdict regarding Chernov is four years in prison. Meanwhile, Vaskiv, whom Raag links to the described events, left the country. In the spring, he was detained in Austria, but according to available information, he has not yet returned to Ukraine.

We draw attention to the fact that claims of possible fabrication of the case against Chernov should currently be considered as the position of the volunteers. To establish the truth, their statements must be compared with the materials of the court proceedings, expert conclusions, and official explanations from Ukrainian law enforcement agencies.