SBU Detains Lawyer Olha Panchenko in Odesa for Ties to Russian Task Force

The Security Service of Ukraine detained in Odesa lawyer Olha Panchenko, who defends the interests of Oleh Maltsev, detained in September 2024 on suspicion of organizing a military intelligence task force of the Russian Federation in Odesa.

According to the Bar Council of Odesa Region, on April 15, SBU officers in Odesa Region searched the property of Olha Panchenko, a lawyer and member of the Committee for the Protection of Professional Rights of Lawyers and the Implementation of Guarantees of Legal Practice.

The search was attended by a representative of the Bar Council of Odesa Region Yevhen Ivanchenko. All the comments were recorded in the search report, and after the search, the lawyer Olga Panchenko was detained in the framework of criminal proceedings, where she acts as a defense counsel.

"At present, an extraordinary urgent meeting of the Committee for the Protection of Professional Rights of Advocates and Implementation of Guarantees of the Bar Council of Odesa Region has been scheduled to coordinate procedural actions aimed at protecting the professional rights of advocates. The Bar Council of Odesa Region is preparing appropriate measures to respond to such blatant violations of the professional rights of lawyers," the Bar Council said.

Earlier, Odesa media workers called on the head of the Odesa branch of the National Union of Journalists , Yuriy Rabotin, to resign and accused him of passing their personal data to Oleg Maltsev, who is accused of creating a combat group to overthrow the government. They reported that they were "concerned about the information about the conflict situation" and condemned the "dissemination of personal data".

Subsequently, Yuriy Rabotin issued a public statement in response to the journalists' accusations, and the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine suspended the issuance of journalists' certificates through its Odesa regional organization.

Кирило Бойко