Serviceman and officer of the headquarters of the 16th Army Corps Oleksandr Shyrshyn said that before drugs were planted in his car, he had been under surveillance. According to him, in March the door to his home was forced open, but nothing was taken from the house. He contacted the police, but there is no information on the progress of the case.
In June there was a second attempt to break into his home. CCTV cameras installed after the first incident recorded two people, Shyrshyn said in a Facebook post.
“I also repeatedly noticed that I was being followed, including by cars. Most of the number plates on those cars were cover plates and did not show up in the database. I contacted the police again, set out the events described above and demanded that protection be provided. The response was simple: we will check whether your request is genuine and then decide what to do,” the serviceman said.
After Shyrshyn publicly commented on crimes in certain assault regiments, he received warnings from people “close and not so close” about the possible risks of taking such a stance.
Separately, the serviceman commented on yesterday’s police search of his car, which resulted in drugs being found.
“I can state that I have never in my life used drugs, let alone been involved in selling or distributing narcotic or prohibited substances,” he said.
What Is Happening?
On 28 August in the afternoon 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 search the cabin and repeatedly asked whether he had anything prohibited. After searching the cabin and his personal belongings, they asked to inspect 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; Shyrshyn brought in lawyers. After the first search of the car, police found packages not only with “cannabis” but also with other substances.
The serviceman said the drugs were planted deliberately.
In a comment to Ukrainska Pravda, police in the 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 be narcotic drugs”.
The 16th Army Corps urged people to refrain from premature conclusions and accusations. The corps is conducting an internal inquiry into the circumstances of the serviceman’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 he was right in court,” the statement said.
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.
Previously, he publicly criticised the military command over certain operations on Russian territory that led to significant losses among Ukrainian troops. After that, Shyrshyn was labelled “undisciplined”. He overturned that status in court.