Former Odesa military man Borisov refuses to participate in video court hearing

The hearing in the case of former Odesa military commissar Yevhen Borysov on unauthorized leaving the service was postponed again. The accused is in hospital, and his lawyers did not appear in court.

This was reported by Suspilne.

The hearing in Borysov's case has been going on for four days in the Prymorskyi District Court of Odesa. The court was supposed to choose a preventive measure, but on October 8, the accused did not appear - according to his lawyers, he is in the hospital under drips.

As on the previous day, the defendant's other defense lawyers did not come to the courtroom either. Only a free lawyer appointed the day before was present. He said that Borisov did not understand why a human rights defender had been chosen for him, and asked to postpone the hearing until he could be present with his lawyers.

The prosecutors proposed to hold the hearing via video link, but the defendant refused to receive the request due to his health condition. During the break, the court administrator went to the hospital, where Borisov confirmed his refusal verbally and refused to sign the documents.

At the same time, one of the defense attorneys, Olena Karpiuk, filed another motion to recuse the judge, but did not attend the hearing in person. This is her sixth such motion. Prosecutors believe that the lawyer is abusing her right to recusal and urged not to consider the application. The court adjourned again, and the next meeting is scheduled for October 9 at 11:00.

The trial began on October 3. The prosecution requested that Borisov be held in custody without the possibility of bail and that his bail be set at UAH 300 million. The defense insisted on postponing the hearing and filed a petition with the Supreme Court to transfer the case to Kyiv, to the Pechersk Court.

The hearing in the Prymorskyi District Court of Odesa to choose a preventive measure against Borisov on October 7 also ended in a break. A day earlier, he was hospitalized due to a sharp deterioration in his health.

The ex-military commissar is accused of unauthorized leave from service and forgery. On December 25, 2024, in Kyiv, SBI officers detained the former head of the Odesa Regional TCC and JV. Journalists found that Borysov's family had purchased millions of dollars worth of real estate and cars on the Spanish coast during the full-scale invasion of Russia.

Анна Бальчінос