A pseudo-activist from Lviv Ostap Stakhiv was suspected of “leaking” locations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and fraud

The law enforcement officers informed about the suspicion of the Lviv blogger for "draining" the locations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and fraud.

This was reported by the Prosecutor Generalʼs Office and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).

The prosecutors do not specify the name of the suspect, but it follows from the details of the case that it is about Ostap Stakhiv. He was searched this afternoon.

According to the investigation, a few months before the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation, Stakhiv incited people to organize mass riots and seize state institutions under the guise of the "anti-vaccination movement."

In social networks, he claimed that Russian aggression was allegedly caused by "third countries", which "provoked" Moscow to a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Also, during one of his live broadcasts, Stakhiv publicly informed about the exact location of one of the units of the Ukrainian army, putting the soldiers in danger.

In addition, Stakhiv organized online "journalism" courses, where, among other things, he taught students to counter mobilization in Ukraine. Babel previously wrote that Stakhiv opened paid courses in April 2023. The cost is from 2 500 to 7 500 hryvnias. Stakhiv directly stated that these courses are not for future work in the media, but for the "protection" of his rights. After passing the course and a practical exam, he issued a "journalist-human rights defender" certificate.

However, instead of an "international certificate", he issued fictitious certificates of a local newspaper, which lost its accreditation in the spring of this year.

During the search of Stakhivʼs home, law enforcement officers found mobile phones and other evidence of "criminal activity." He was informed of the suspicions:

• Part 2 of Art. 114-2 (unauthorized dissemination of information about the deployment of the Armed Forces, committed under martial law);
• part 1 and part 2 of Art. 190 (fraud).

Now they are deciding the issue of choosing a preventive measure for Stakhiv.

Stakhivʼs cases

A criminal case has been initiated against Stakhiv since 2021 under the article on the overthrow of the constitutional order. According to SBU, he collected weapons, supporters and operated in a network coordinated from Russia.

On November 18 of the same year, Stakhiv was sent to the pre-trial detention center for 60 days with the possibility of bail. On November 30, a deposit of 998 800 hryvnias was made for Stakhiv. After the pre-trial detention center, he was sent to the Lviv Regional Psychiatric Hospital for examination.

And at the beginning of 2024, it became known that Stakhiv created a network of supporters to oppose the mobilization.