The 16th Army Corps is closely following developments around Oleksandr Shyrshyn, former battalion commander of the 47th Brigade and now a headquarters officer, in whose car drugs were found yesterday after a sudden stop by police. In a statement by the corps on Facebook, it said it had taken note of the National Police’s position on the circumstances of the inspection of Shyrshyn’s vehicle.
The 16th Corps noted that law enforcement actions must be justified and the legal grounds clear and convincing. The corps will conduct an internal inquiry and a comprehensive review of the circumstances of Major Shyrshyn’s detention.
“We know Oleksandr as a serviceman devoted to the defence of Ukraine, and as a principled person who seeks meaningful change in the Armed Forces and has already proved his case in court,” the statement said.
The corps expects an impartial investigation by law enforcement agencies, as well as consideration of the earlier circumstances of the “Shyrshyn case”.
“We urge people to refrain from premature conclusions and accusations. One of the foundations of a state governed by the rule of law is the presumption of innocence. Unfounded attempts to discredit servicemen who are defending Ukraine with weapons in their hands are unacceptable,” the 16th Corps stressed.
Context
On the afternoon of 28 August in Kharkiv, police stopped the car of serviceman Oleksandr Shyrshyn. According to the serviceman, officers said they had information that he was “on something”. Shyrshyn offered to undergo a test; he was told it had to be done at a medical facility, and they asked to search his car.
According to the serviceman, nothing prohibited was found in the boot, after which officers asked to inspect the cabin and repeatedly asked whether he had anything prohibited. After searching the cabin and his personal belongings, they asked to check the armrest.
“I don’t use that armrest because it’s the back seat. I open the armrest and there’s some kind of packet. I take it out and he says: ‘What is this?’ I say: ‘I don’t know.’ I unwrap it and there’s cannabis with scales. And a pile of little bags,” he said.
Investigative actions lasted several hours, and Shyrshyn brought in lawyers. After the first search of the car, police found packets not only with “cannabis” but also with other substances.
The serviceman said the drugs had been planted deliberately.
In a comment to UP, police in Kharkiv Region said Shyrshyn had not been detained — he was summoned to the district police station as a witness in connection with the “seizure of substances that may possibly be narcotic drugs”.
Oleksandr Shyrshyn is one of the servicemen who has publicly spoken about the loss of fighters and violent methods in certain assault units of the Defence Forces.