The court released Semen Semenchenko under house arrest

Today, the Kyiv Court of Appeals changed the pre-trial detention measure for the accused ex-MP Semen Semenchenko to 24-hour house arrest. Defenders and Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov asked to release him on personal duty, the court released him under house arrest.

Prosecutor Andriy Syniuk told Babel about this.

Lawyers provided the court with copies of Budanovʼs letters.

"It is unknown whether there are any originals of these letters, I asked this question in court. There is no full text of the decision yet, but it is already clear that this precautionary measure obliges Semenchenko not to leave his place of residence around the clock, except for participation in court hearings. I donʼt know what benefit he will be able to bring to the front, sitting in an apartment around the clock," Syniuk said.

The letters said that Semenchenko "has high organizational qualities, successfully acted as a unit commander, led and directly organized the defense of settlements and territories," so "now his organizational skills will benefit the country and defense."

Budanov noted that Semenchenko had repeatedly stated his desire to take part in the defense of the state, and the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Volodymyr Zelenskyy allowed the involvement in the defense of the state of experienced fighters who are in custody or serving sentences.

• On September 8 last year, the Solomianskyi District Court of Kyiv extended the arrest of Semenchenko, who is suspected of creating an illegal armed group on the territory of Ukraine.