Oleksiy Arestovych, a former non-staff adviser to the head of the Presidential Office, left Ukraine for Poland through the Krakovets-Korczowa border crossing point on 4 September 2023. According to NGL.media, he was allowed to cross the border because he was carrying a letter from the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine (GUR). However, the GUR denies this.
Earlier, Arestovych had repeatedly travelled abroad, but returned to Ukraine. For example, in early May 2023, he also left through Krakovets and did not return to Ukraine until the end of June, having spent almost a month and a half abroad.
In total, since the Russian invasion in February 2022, in addition to the two cases mentioned above, Arestovych has travelled abroad seven more times on other grounds, for example, on the basis of decisions of the head of the State Border Service, as an adviser to the President's Office, etc. All these trips lasted no longer than nine days.
The State Border Service refused to provide NGL.media with official information about the grounds for Arestovych's travels, arguing that "information about a person's crossing of the state border is related to his or her private life".
After leaving Ukraine in November last year, Arestovych stated that he was in conflict with the Presidential Office and that he was being subjected to political pressure.
"I have a number of international forums to attend as a key speaker. So I have a formal reason to be abroad. But, as you understand, when the NSDC secretary and MPs from the ruling party accuse you of being a Russian spy and promise to imprison you, this does not help you return," he said in an interview with the Russian media outlet Medusa in autumn.
One of his last interviews, published on 24 January, shows that Arestovych is currently living in New York. Avoiding details, he stated that he left Ukraine legally.
"I have two more projects in Europe right now. When I close them, I will go back to Ukraine. I really want to go home," he said, answering the question about his return.
The GUR responded to the NGL.media story by calling it fake.
"The information about crossing the border and leaving Ukraine by a person named Oleksiy Arestovych on 4 September 2023, allegedly on the basis of a letter from the Main Intelligence DIrectorate of Ukraine, published by NGL.media, is not true. The Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine did not provide this person with any letters or any other documents for travelling abroad," the GUR said.
On 17 January 2023, Arestovych tendered a letter of resignation as a non-staff adviser to the Presidential Office because of his statement that a Russian missile hit a house in Dnipro because of Ukrainian air defences. He later retracted this statement, saying that he was very tired when he said it.