Five suspects identified by law enforcement in Sheremet murder

Five suspects were named by Ukrainian law enforcement
authorities during a Dec. 12 press conference in their criminal case
investigating the July 2016 murder of journalist Pavel Sheremet. Authorities
alleged the suspects, all either volunteers or veterans of the Donbas war,
acted alone in planning and executing the murder of Sheremet for the
“destabilization of the socio-political situation in the state by means of
murdering a famous person.” During the Dec. 12 press conference, which was led
by Internal Affairs Minister Arsen Avakov, authorities presented largely
circumstantial evidence, including photographs without direct identification
and disturbing phone conversations – including discussions of planning other
murders and involvement in other crimes – though without admissions of
involvement in Sheremet’s killing.

 

Among the five suspects, children’s surgeon and war
volunteer Yulia Kuzmenko was accused of planting the bomb, while rock singer
and war volunteer Andriy Antonenko is accused of accompanying her when planting
the bomb. Authorities made no mention of the former agent of the Security
Service of Ukraine, Ihor Ustymenko, who was video-recorded at the scene of the
bomb being planted. He denied any involvement in the plot when confronted by
journalists. A police officer at the press conference avoided commenting on the
involvement of Security Service officials, stating that authorities hope the
circle of suspects will widen.

 

The pravda.com.ua news site – which has led to
campaign to ensure that authorities investigate Sheremet’s murder and prosecute
those involved –  expressed skepticism in response to the authorities’
findings. Their case doesn’t identify anyone who ordered the murder, while the
claim that “such a crime could have been independently organized by a group of
volunteers to destabilize the situation raises many questions.” The motive of
political destabilization is also questionable, considering it wasn’t
accomplished. “Why would volunteers – who supported the army in a difficult time
– need to destabilize the situation in the country? Is the investigation
considering that the group of volunteers could have acted in the interests of
Russia?,” the news site said in its response published within hours of the
press conference.

 

Critics of the Zelensky administration also voiced
their skepticism with the case presented by authorities. Among those accused,
army nurse Yana Duhar, was serving in the Donbas war zone at the time of
Sheremet’s murder, said MP and war veteran Yana Zinkevych on her Facebook page.
She posted a military notice listing Duhar’s times of serving as evidence that
she wasn’t in Kyiv surveilling the territory days before the bomb was planted,
as alleged by authorities.

 

Zenon Zawada: The
criminal case presented by authorities raises far more questions than produces
answers. All those involved are suspicious and disturbed people with possible
involvement in other crimes, some of which they discuss in the secretly
recorded phone conversations presented by authorities during the press
conference. But authorities didn’t produce evidence of their direct involvement
in Sheremet’s murder at the press conference.

 

We find credible the view being expressed by skeptics
that the press conference was organized as part of the Zelensky
administration’s campaign to attack and discredit war volunteers and veterans,
since they are the most actively opposed to the president’s efforts to reach a
peace deal with the Russian government. In which case, it’s very unfortunate to
see such a sensitive and important matter, even at the international level,
potentially being exploited for political gains.

 

The lack of any mention of high-ranking officials
ordering the murder, which is likely to have happened, is also suspicious, as
well as the lack of any mention of the one individual who is confirmed to been
somehow involved, the former SBU agent Ihor Ustymenko.

 

The most important conclusion that we draw from this
episode is that the Zelensky administration has designated certain convenient
targets in its fight against corruption, while avoiding others out of political
expedience. But without high-profile crimes – that carry much symbolism – being
genuinely prosecuted (like Sheremet’s murder), the public won’t be convinced of
the Zelensky’s commitment to fighting corruption.

 

The farthest any high-profile criminal case has
gone so far has been months-long detentions without yet reaching trial
(including former MPs Yuriy Hrymchak, Serhiy Pashynskiy), which has been the
tradition of previous administrations. All this is unsatisfactory so far in
convincing the public that a real fight against corruption is occurring.