Derkach case: key witness confirms transfer of money from Russian GRU
The High Anti-Corruption Court has interrogated one of the key witnesses in the case of former MP and traitor Andrii Derkach.
This was reported by the platform "HACC decided", Censor.NET informs.
We are talking about his former assistant, Ihor Kolesnikov, who later also held a position at NJSC "Energoatom".
"According to the SSU, he was also once an employee of the Russian GRU. In his case, Kolesnikov made a deal with the investigation. It was he who introduced Derkach to a Russian intelligence officer who gave him money for information attacks against Ukraine.
According to Kolesnikov, he was instructed to receive "parcels" with money for Derkach by Alexey Savin, an assistant to the First Deputy Chief of the Russian GRU, Vladimir Alekseev. The words "pass it on to Derkach" were not mentioned, but the witness understood who these "parcels" were for. The money was always transferred in hard currency in considerable amounts after Kolesnikov had announced the relevant code," the statement said.
Kolesnikov described Derkach as "a very cautious person", so he did not give him the money directly. Other people took it, and the brother of Derkach's ex-wife coordinated it all. The amounts were different each time and grew.
The SAPO accuses the former MP of treason and illicit enrichment.
According to the investigation, in 2019-2022, he received at least $567,000 from Russian special services and used it for information attacks against Ukraine, in particular to disrupt European integration and deteriorate relations with Western partners. His case has been pending in the HACC since December 2023.
In January 2023, Derkach was deprived of his Ukrainian citizenship. He is currently a senator from the Russian Astrakhan region and a member of the Security and Defence Committee of the Federation Council. He is wanted in Ukraine and is a subject of special court proceedings.
