Mural in honor of Kherson activist Kateryna Handziuk restored in Kyiv

In Kyiv, a mural with a quote from Kherson activist Kateryna Handziuk, which was painted over the day before, has been restored on Poshtova Square. Activists believe this is an attempt to destroy the memory of the Kherson public figure who was killed in an attack.

This was reported by the Miller Law Firm.

In Kyiv, a mural with a quote from Kherson activist Kateryna Handziuk has been restored on Poshtova Square, which was covered with paint the day before.

The mural appeared in 2019 on a wall near a metro station, and since then, commemorative events have been held near it on numerous occasions. On June 16, it became known that the image had disappeared-activists assumed that it had been deliberately painted over.

On July 31, 2018, in Kherson , Kateryna Handziuk, a civic activist and acting chief of staff of the executive committee of the Kherson City Council, was attacked near the entrance to her house and doused with sulfuric acid. Later, law enforcement officers found that the perpetrator was Mykyta Grabchuk. The woman suffered severe chemical burns to 40% of her body, underwent more than a dozen surgeries and fought for her life for almost three months, but died in hospital on November 4, 2018.

In April 2020, the SBU completed a pre-trial investigation into the activist's murder. According to the investigation, the attack was ordered by the then chairman of the Kherson Regional Council Vladyslav Manger, and his advisor Oleksiy Levin was the mediator and co-organizer of the crime. Both, according to investigators, acted by prior conspiracy, with a motive of revenge for her public activities.

In June 2023, the Dniprovskyi District Court of Kyiv passed a verdict: Vladyslav Manger was found guilty of ordering grievous bodily harm that caused death, and Oleksiy Levin was found guilty of organizing the crime. Both were sentenced to 10 years in prison.

However, the case is still ongoing: in April 2025, the court continued to consider the defendants' appeals. Manger and Levin's lawyers filed a motion to re-interview witnesses and re-examine evidence in an attempt to appeal the verdict.

Анна Бальчінос