SBI is asked to initiate a case against the commander who illegally sent Shabunin on business trips

The command of the Terrorist Defense Forces asked the State Bureau of Investigation to prosecute the commander of the military unit where the anti-corruption activist Vitaliy Shabunin "served" for providing him with illegal business trips and payments in the amount of UAH 30,000. These violations fall under two articles of the Criminal Code - embezzlement and abuse of power.

This is stated in the report of the TRO to the SBI of December 16, 2023. It was signed by the then commander of the Terrorist Defense Forces, Anatoliy Bargylevych, UNN reports with reference to Law and Business.

"Please enter information about the commission of criminal offenses under Part 5 of Article 426-1 and Part 4 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations," the statement said.

The military explains that in December 2023, they conducted an internal service inspection. It found that the commander of the unit violated the Statute of the Armed Forces of Ukraine by authorizing the "business trip" of soldier Shabunin to the NAPC, which is not a state security and defense body.

Such "business trips" were also illegal because Shabunin is a mobilized soldier, not a contractor. However, such violations occurred systematically during 2022-2023. At the same time, the commander allowed Shabunin to be paid an additional 30 thousand UAH per month.

As a result of the inspection, the commander of the military unit was brought to administrative responsibility.

According to media reports, Shabunin has already been transferred from this military unit to the Center for Innovation and Development of Defense Technologies of the Ministry of Defense.

Earlier, it was reported that Shabunin is listed as a combat medic and receives allowances for his service while remaining in Kyiv. The well-known anti-corruption activist has also recently been involved in a scandal: he was accused of misappropriating a car purchased for the front through a charity fund.

The SBI is already investigating two criminal cases against Shabunin - for evading mobilization and forging NACP documents.