The Desnyanskyy District Court of Kyiv found Vadym Moshkin, a former security guard at the capital's polyclinic, guilty of leaving three people in danger, which led to the deaths of three people. He was sentenced to 4 years in prison.
This was reported by the Kyiv City Prosecutor's Office.
"The prosecutor proved in court that the security guard of the Primary Healthcare Centre No. 3 did not open the shelter door during the air raid alert in Kyiv on the night of 1 June 2023, depriving people of the opportunity to save their lives. His actions during the missile attack on Kyiv by the Russian armed forces resulted in the deaths of three people, including a 9-year-old girl. The death of a young child in accordance with Article 67 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine is an aggravating circumstance," the statement said.
The prosecutor's office also noted that "the accused did not admit his guilt and did not repent of the criminal offence".
"During the trial, he constantly changed his testimony about the circumstances of the incident and the reasons why he did not open the door of the shelter (he did not have time, did not hear the alarm, did not see people). In the end, the defendant told the court that the hospital was not equipped with a shelter at all and he was not obliged to open the door to it," the prosecutor's office said.
The prosecution requested that Moshkin be sentenced to 6 years and 6 months in prison.
The lawyer asked to acquit Moshkin, explaining that everything happened very quickly and he simply did not have time to open the door to the shelter.
Currently, prosecutors are studying the court's verdict to determine the grounds for appeal.
Deaths of three people due to a locked shelter in Kyiv
- On the night of 1 June 2023, a Russian missile attack in Kyiv killed three people, including a 9-year-old child. They were trying to get to the shelter of a polyclinic in the Desnyanskyy district, but the doors were locked. Guard Moshkin is believed to be responsible for opening the door during the alarm.
- On 20 June last year, Roman Tkachuk, director of the Kyiv City State Administration's Department of Municipal Security, was notified of suspicion. The Holosiyivskyy District Court of Kyiv placed him under round-the-clock house arrest with an electronic bracelet. However, in August, Tkachuk's measure of restraint was changed to nightly house arrest.
- In total, four people were notified of suspicion in the case of the closed shelter: the first deputy head of the Desnyanskyy District State Administration, the director of the hospital, the deputy director for technical issues and a security guard of the medical institution. The security guard was taken into custody for two months without bail, while the others were placed under round-the-clock house arrest.
- On 29 June, the court changed Moshkin's measure of restraint - instead of detention, he was placed under nightly house arrest.