"I was being followed, and police were given clear tip-off," Shyrshyyn said, explaining how drugs had been planted on him
Oleksandr Shyrshyn, the former commander of the 47th Mechanised Brigade, said that he had been under surveillance prior to his arrest on charges of possession of planted drugs.
According to Censor.NET, he wrote about this on Facebook.
Details from Shyrshyn
"I was being followed, my home was broken into and illegally entered, and there were constantly cars with fake number plates, and so on. All this is happening whenever I make public statements about organised criminal groups and their commanders. Due to the lack of any action to protect me on the part of the law enforcement agencies, I had to defend myself using the means available to me and permitted by law," he writes.
The former battalion commander noted that about a week ago he noticed problems with his car’s alarm system, but did not think much of it and put off having it checked until later.
"My car is left unattended several times a day, due to the lack of CCTV, secure car parks and other facilities. These incidents are recurring, at virtually the same time each day, and it is not difficult to exploit the lack of surveillance in the area and break into the car. I am now trying to work out exactly when and where this might have happened," Shirsheen explained.
Regarding the planted drugs
According to Shyrshyn, once all the evidence collectors were in their designated positions, the police were given clear instructions on who to target and how to proceed, where to look and what to pay attention to.
"That’s exactly what happened. Almost… Not counting the road accident they were involved in whilst on their way to detain, as they wrote in their chat groups, the ‘drug lord with a large consignment’. Incidentally, this had been written even before they found the largest package. At that point, I was already driving out to meet them and, regardless of their situation, upon seeing my car, Shevchenko, a member of the crashed patrol, ran quickly to stop it. Then came the standard line: ‘We have information that you are under the influence of substances.’ I said they were free to carry out any test they saw fit to check my condition. This was followed by an insistent demand to open the boot… I granted access and showed them everything inside. There were rounds of ammunition in the car, but they weren’t interested in them. Although during the ‘check’ I was asked repeatedly whether I was carrying any prohibited substances. They then demanded that I open the passenger compartment and shouted: ‘Get it out!’. When I asked, ‘What should I get out?’, Police Officer Alikhanov replied, ‘Everything!’, he recounts.
"Then came the command: ‘Open the armrest.’ After I’d flipped the armrest up, Alikhanov repeated, ‘Open it!’ I don’t usually sit in the back seat and I don’t use the armrest, so I didn’t understand the demand at first; then I saw the lid and lifted it. That’s where the first ‘gift’ was. At the policeman’s request, I pulled it out and opened it (yes, I messed up here, but at the time I didn’t realise there might be things in the car that didn’t belong to me…) and out came some bags and something that looked like grass. I put it on the bonnet and, despite the shouts, refused to put it back in the car. There were various people around the car; some were asking questions, others were holding the packet and the bag that had fallen out… Then everyone suddenly disappeared, and there was no one there for quite a while. Next came the Special Operations Group (SOG); more bags appeared near the car… at that point I thought that was the biggest problem. That was until they discovered a compartment under the driver’s seat containing powders and tablets, various packaging and insulating tape," adds the former battalion commander.
Police admit there was a "tip-off"
Furthermore, he noted thatthe police officers themselves, in an off-the-record conversation, admitted that they had been given a tip-off, and that it looked like an attempt to frame him for having crossed paths with someone important.
"Several of them, upon hearing who I was and what had happened beforehand, said: ‘Now we understand why this was done!’", he explained.
According to Shyrshyn, the idea was to frame him for drug dealing, which is why there were scales in the first parcel.
"Everything was well prepared: the teams, the operation, the SBU (my assumption), the VSP… they mobilised so many resources… and the operation failed thanks to people who cared. And they’ve caused yet another dip in public trust in the state and law enforcement agencies. Why not… we can afford it; after all, the credit of trust is endless… I’ve submitted all the tests, provided explanations and done everything required of me by law. I have nothing to hide, nothing to fear. I was surprised by just how many people supported me and by the words of my comrades and those who know me. And I suppose it’s not without reason… The car was seized, sealed and towed to the impound. Now I’m sorting through paperwork, phone calls and meetings…", he concludes.
What led up to it
- As a reminder, the day before, the former commander of the 47th Mechanised Brigade, Oleksandr Shyrshyn, said that drugs had been planted in his car.
- Subsequently, law enforcement officials provided official information regarding the stopping of a car driven by the former commander of the ‘Magura’ battalion of the 47th Mechanised Brigade, Oleksandr Shyrshyn.
- Later, the acting head of the National Police, Maksym Tsutsikiridze, stated that operational information from the Military Law Enforcement Service regarding the former battalion commander of the 47th Mechanised Brigade "Magura", Oleksandr Shyrshyn, would be verified. This includes how this information came to be in the possession of the Military Law Enforcement Service.
Background
- Earlier, Censor.NET reported that Shyrshyn, the battalion commander of the 47th Mechanised Brigade "Magura", had submitted a request for discharge due to the command’s "ridiculous tasks".
- For his part, Yuriy Butusov, Editor-in-Chief of Censor.NET, commenting on Shyrshyn’s actions, noted that the statement by Shyrshyn, commander of the 47th Mechanised Brigade, requires an official response from the General Staff and the command. Further actions in the Kursk region should only be planned following an after-action review.
- It was subsequently reported that, on the orders of the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a working group had been set up to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances outlined in the social media post by the commander of a unit of the 47th Separate Mechanised Brigade.
- The working group, which investigated the situation published on social media by ‘Magura’ Shyrshyn, the battalion commander, regarding a series of ineffective decisions at the front, found Shyrshyn himself to be undisciplined.
- Subsequently, the court overturned the reprimand issued to Shyrshyn.
