16 March 2025

Odesa Court Imposes Detention on Suspect in Demian Hanul's Murder

(Photo: National Police in Odesa region)

The Kyiv District Court of Odesa has imposed a pre-trial restraint on Serhiy Shalayev, a suspect in the murder of activist Demian Hanul, in the form of detention without bail.

This was reported by the press service of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Odesa region.

If found guilty, the man faces life imprisonment. Currently, he has been notified of suspicion of premeditated murder committed for hire and of illegal possession, storage, and purchase of firearms and ammunition without a permit.

At the hearing, Sergei Shalaev was wearing a bulletproof vest and helmet.

Earlier, the police reported the existence of three main versions that could have caused the murder of Odesa activist Demian Hanul, including the possibility of a crime ordered by Russian special services.

Earlier, the wife of Odesa activist Demian Hanul, Zhanna Voznyuk, commented on the murder of her husband and told what she said to him for the last time. The man suspected of killing the activist was detained the same day. A weapon that was allegedly used to commit the crime was found in the apartment where he was hiding.

Before that, Hanul had already reported that people posing as military officers had tried to kill him.

According to the investigation, at about 10:30 in the center of Odesa, a man fired several shots at Demian Hanul. He died on the spot from his injuries.

Also, the Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko said that he would take the investigation into the murder of Demian Hanul under his personal control.

Earlier, Ganul had already reported that people posing as military personnel tried to kill him.

The activist said that he was called to a meeting by the military to find out how he could help them. But when he arrived at the meeting, in a city cafe, the interlocutors began to behave aggressively and accused him of helping different units besides their own with cars.

Кирило Бойко

You may also like:

Nov. 6, 2026

Only 2 percent of Ukraine's certified real estate agents are based in the Odesa region

"The First Emoji" and Petroglyphs: Alla Glavenchuk on the Discoveries in the Mykolaiv Region

A court security official from the Odesa region mistook an apartment for a room in her financial disclosure statement

An inspector at the Izmail Pretrial Detention Center was caught supplying drugs

In the Odesa region, a government official and an engineer are facing trial for embezzlement related to a stadium renovation project