On August 11, the Kyiv Court of Odesa extended the preventive measure for 46-year-old Serhii Shalaev, who is suspected of the murder of Odesa activist Demyan Hanul.
This was reported to Suspilne on August 12 by Eduard Pleshko, press secretary of the Specialized Prosecutorʼs Office for Defense of the southern region.
The previous preventive measure — detention — was supposed to end on August 14. The court extended the detention for 30 days — until September 14.
Serhii Shalaev is currently in pretrial detention without bail. He is suspected of premeditated murder committed on a contract basis and illegal handling of weapons. Shalaev pleaded guilty to the murder of Hanul on March 16 during a court hearing where he was given a preventive measure.
What preceded
On the morning of March 13, activist Demyan Hanul was shot dead in the Prymorsky district of Odesa. A few hours later, law enforcement officers detained the suspect, who turned out to be a 46-year-old deserter. According to Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, a weapon was found in the apartment where the suspect was hiding, which was probably used to kill the activist. 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).
On March 15, the detainee was informed of the suspicion, and on March 16, a preventive measure in the form of detention without bail was chosen.
It later turned out that this was Senior Lieutenant Serhii Shalaev. On July 13, 2024, he was transferred from military unit A0139 and appointed as a temporary acting reserve officer in a reserve company.
After that, he was almost always on treatment and did not participate in combat missions. He is considered to be in AWOL from February 22, 2025, when he did not arrive from vacation to the place of service.
Investigators are working on possible motives for the crime, including versions regarding the contract nature of the murder, as well as the "Russian trace".
What is known about Demyan Hanul?
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 Odesa 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 Kulikovo Field, where almost 50 people died in the House of Trade Unions 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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