Ochakov mayor testifies in case of Shevchenko's former commander

During the interrogation in court, the mayor of Ochakiv, Serhiy Bychkov, testified about the circumstances of the case of high treason against Eduard Shevchenko and commented on the conversation that became the basis for the prosecution. He outlined his position on the alleged attempts to contact the Russian side.

This was reported by MikVisti.

The case of Eduard Shevchenko, the former commander of the 73rd Naval Center of the Special Operations Forces, has been under consideration in the Zavodskyi District Court of Mykolaiv for three years. Previously, he participated in the liberation of Ukrainian cities in the east in 2014, was awarded state awards, served in the Navy, and later worked in the Ochakiv City Council.

In January 2023, he was detained by the Security Service of Ukraine in the center of Mykolaiv on suspicion of treason. The investigation claimed that he had collaborated with Russian military intelligence and intended to persuade the mayor of Ochakiv to surrender the city.

On February 12, 2026, the court interrogated the main witness, the mayor of Ochakiv, Serhiy Bychkov, who was the suspect's immediate superior and had known him since 2016. According to Bychkov, their acquaintance took place when Eduard Shevchenko headed the 73rd SSO center in Ochakiv. After leaving the service for health reasons, he got a job at the city council as the head of the video surveillance department at the housing and communal services department - this happened before the full-scale invasion, around 2019-2020.

The prosecutor focused on the events of January 2023, in particular on contacts with Serhiy Kolesnikov, whom the prosecution considers to be an officer of the Russian GRU. According to the investigation, through him, the Russian side tried to contact the mayor of Ochakiv to get confirmation of his readiness to surrender the city.

Bychkov explained to the court that Shevchenko came to his office and asked for permission to pass his phone number to a man named Serhiy, who was calling from a Russian number. According to the witness, it was a Russian who had to explain the purpose of the call. The mayor said that he immediately refused any communication, as there had been previous attempts to contact him from the Russian side. After Shevchenko refused, he left the office, and they never returned to this topic.

When asked by the defense, the mayor said that during the defendant's work in the city council, he had not had any complaints against him. He also stated that he had not heard or seen any actions or statements that could indicate activities in favor of Russia.

During the interrogation, the defendant clarified his wording: according to the mayor, he spoke about a Russian, but did not directly call him a representative of the Russian authorities. The witness also confirmed that the conversation was about a possible call from a Russian number, not about discussing the terms of cooperation.

The witness also confirmed that he was aware of the humanitarian cargo to the Kinburn Spit and of consultations with Ukrainian intelligence officials regarding certain operations. When asked directly by Shevchenko whether he had offered to surrender Ochakiv to the Russians, Bychkov replied that he had not received such proposals. According to him, such proposals came from another Russian military officer, but not from the accused.

In the context of the allegations of recruitment, the mayor explained that he had not been subjected to bribery, threats, or attempts to appeal to common interests from the suspect. He emphasized that he had reported the attempt to transfer his number to the Russian side to counterintelligence, as similar contacts had already taken place before. Subsequently, a telephone conversation with a representative of the Russian side took place under the control of Ukrainian law enforcement officers as part of the agreed actions.

During that conversation, the Russian interlocutor suggested that the format of further communication be considered. The mayor replied that the primary condition was to stop shelling the city, which was in line with the agreed position within the controlled operation.

The judges clarified that only one conversation actually took place between Shevchenko and Bychkov regarding a possible call. The witness confirmed that he was asked for permission to pass on the phone number, and did not insist or offer terms of cooperation. He also noted that he immediately reported the incident to the relevant authorities and underwent a polygraph test.

Shevchenko 's detention took place on January 23, 2023, in the building of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration. On that day, he arrived in the city together with Bychkov, after which SBU officers handed him a suspicion. That was the end of the interrogation.

The court planned to interrogate the mayor of Ochakiv, Serhiy Bychkov, on January 27, but he did not appear due to another business trip.

Анна Бальчінос