Law enforcement officers have detained a suspect in the murder of Odesa activist Demyan Hanul.
This was reported by the Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko.
According to the minister, a weapon was found in the apartment where the suspect was hiding, which was probably used to kill the activist.
President Volodymyr Zelensky also reacted to the detention, noting that dozens of investigators, operatives, and forensic experts are involved in solving this crime. All the circumstances under which it was committed are being clarified.
"I instructed the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, the head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), and the Acting Prosecutor General to mobilize all necessary forces and means to establish all the facts," he added.
The prosecutorʼs office has launched an investigation into the fact of premeditated murder committed on order (clause 11, part 2, article 115 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
SBU added that the suspect is a 46-year-old deserter. Investigators are currently working on possible motives for the crime, including versions of the contract nature of the murder, as well as the "Russian trace".
What preceded
On the morning of March 13, activist Demyan Hanul was shot dead in the Prymorsky district of Odesa.
According to the BBC, Hanul has been known since 2013-2014, when he participated in the Revolution of Dignity as part of the Right Sector, and in Odessa he headed the power bloc of the local branch of the radical right party.
He was also a participant in the May 2, 2014, confrontation on Kulykove Pole, where almost 50 people died in the trade union building as a result of clashes between pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian activists.
Later, he created the public organization "Street Front" and, together with like-minded people, fought against illegal construction. Protests often ended in clashes. In 2017, he was brought to justice together with activists Serhiy Sternenko and Ihor Bey.
Demyan has repeatedly participated in protests outside the Russian consulate in Odesa. In November 2021, together with like-minded people, he brought a coffin there with the inscriptions "Cargo 200" and "Russians are going home".
In early 2022, when Russian rapper Basta was scheduled to perform in Odesa, Hanul managed to cancel the concert.
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