Police send to court case on murder of Demian Hanul

Police investigators have completed the investigation into the murder of Odesa activist Demian Hanul and sent an indictment to court.

According to the press service of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Odesa Oblast, the man is accused of premeditated murder, illegal handling of weapons, and failure to report for duty on time without valid reasons under martial law.

If convicted, the man faces life imprisonment with confiscation of property. In March, the police reported that they were checking three main versions that could have caused the murder of Demian Hanul, including the possibility of a crime ordered by Russian special services. The other two versions are personal animosity toward him and his professional activities as an activist and volunteer. As for the suspect in the murder, according to the publication, the detainee, Sergei Shalaev, served in the military unit A0139 as a senior lieutenant.

The man suspected of killing the activist was detained the same day. In the apartment where he was hiding, the weapon that was allegedly used to commit the crime was found.

Earlier, Hanul had already reported that people posing as military officers 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 theirs with cars.

Кирило Бойко