The Odesa Specialized Prosecutorʼs Office for Defense of the Southern Region has completed the investigation and sent to court an indictment against Serhiy Shalaev, who is suspected of the murder of Odesa activist Demyan Hanul.
This was reported by the Prosecutor Generalʼs Office.
Shalaev is charged with premeditated murder for selfish motives on order, illegal handling of weapons and ammunition, and failure to report to duty on time without good reason by a serviceman for more than three days, committed under martial law (parts 6, 11 of part 2 of article 115, part 1 of article 263, part 5 of article 407 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). He faces life imprisonment.
The investigation claims that the murder was committed on March 14, 2025, on the orders of unidentified people. They presented themselves to the accused as law enforcement officers, but they were not and acted in the interests of the Russian Federation.
In preparation for the crime, the accused voluntarily left his place of duty in February 2025. He received a Makarov pistol, ammunition, and two RGD-5 hand grenades, which he illegally stored and carried with him.
What preceded
On the morning of March 14, activist Demyan Hanul was shot dead in the Primorsky 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 Serhiy 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 since 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 of the contract nature of the murder and the "Russian trace".
What is known about Demyan Hanul?
According to the BBC, Hanul has been known since 2013-2014, when he was a participant 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 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 Odessa. 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 a concert by Russian rapper Basta was to take place in Odesa, Hanul managed to have it canceled.
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