Mocked the Heroes' memorial and was AWOL - who is Ihor Volokha, detained in Kyiv
Kyiv • UNN
The man who spoke disparagingly about national symbols on Maidan turned out to be a serviceman who was AWOL. He distributed the video on his social media pages.
The man who mocked the memorial to fallen Heroes on Maidan turned out to be a serviceman who had arbitrarily left his military unit. This was reported by UNN with reference to the State Bureau of Investigation.
Details
In late February 2026, a video appeared on social media where the defendant disrespectfully spoke about national symbols erected in memory of fallen Defenders of Ukraine. In the same footage, he demanded their removal.
"This is the city center, why did you stick all these flags here? Take them down, people are resting here."
The hooligan also mocked the memory of the fallen defenders of Mariupol and the "Azovstal" plant.
Later, the man was detained. According to media and social networks, he was Ihor Volokha - a former athlete who previously practiced boxing at a Kyiv sports school. Law enforcement officers established that the man was AWOL - he had arbitrarily left his military unit in Mykolaiv Oblast.
The video where Volokha mocked the fallen is not the only one in his work - he published similar shock content on Instagram and Facebook social networks.
When these videos caused a public outcry, the defendant shaved off his mustache so that he would not be recognized. But it did not help him.
After his arrest, Volokha stated that he did it out of his own foolishness and apologized.
He has currently been notified of suspicion of arbitrary abandonment of a military unit or place of service (Part 5 of Article 407 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The sanction of the article provides for punishment of up to 10 years of imprisonment.
It is not excluded that in the future he may be charged with suspicion under several more articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:
- Article 296 (hooliganism);
- Article 435-1 (insulting the honor and dignity of a serviceman);
- Article 338 (desecration of state symbols);
- Article 436-2 (justification, recognition as lawful, denial of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine).
Recall
The man who mocked the People's Memorial to fallen defenders on Maidan Nezalezhnosti was detained by law enforcement officers in Kyiv.