Official of Ochakiv City Council is under investigation for passing intelligence

The trial of Eduard Shevchenko, the former commander of the 73rd Marine Center of the SSO, who is suspected of high treason and passing classified data to Russia, continues in Mykolaiv. The prosecution links him to attempts to recruit the mayor of Ochakiv and disclose information about the arrival of a British warship in Odesa.

This was reported by Ukraine Criminal.

At one of the sessions, the court considered the episode with the arrival of a British warship in Odesa in December 2018. According to the prosecution, Shevchenko informed Russian agents about it. The defendant himself denies guilt, calling the accusations "nonsense that was molded into a case in a few days."

Prosecutor Anton Malyuk announced the results of an open-source check: Ukrainian and British media publications confirm that the British reconnaissance ship did indeed arrive in Odesa. However, Shevchenko's lawyer, Oleksandr Gerasymov, noted that this does not prove his client's involvement.

The prosecutor cited correspondence and audio recordings where representatives of Russian special services discussed the security of the British ship and mentioned the pseudonym "Kobzar" or "Kobza". According to the prosecution, it was supposed to be Shevchenko. The defendant denies that he was involved in these discussions and demands proof.

The SBU sent a letter to the Ukrainian Navy to clarify whether the suspect was at the facilities with the British delegation at the time, whether his unit was guarding the ship, and whether the data passed to the enemy could harm national security.

In their response, the Navy stated that Shevchenko did indeed head an anti-submarine warfare group and had access to state secrets, but that it was impossible to confirm his involvement in the transmission of information due to the lack of documents, which were destroyed after the outbreak of war.

The defendant himself emphasizes that the case is based on assumptions and rumors, not on concrete evidence of his actions. He denies that he had informed Russian agents and believes that he is being falsely accused in a field in which he has worked for years.

During the September hearing, the court studied records of telephone conversations and correspondence related to the suspect. Among the evidence were materials from the Telegram account of Oleh Butsky, a former militant of the "MGB DNR". In these messages, Butsky discussed the protection of foreign specialists in Odesa, military movements and meetings, and referred to "his man," whom the investigation links to Shevchenko.

Анна Бальчінос