Shyrshyn on his detention: "I don’t have that many enemies, but this is a ’paid piece’"
The former commander of the 47th Mechanised Brigade, Oleksandr Shyrshyn, described his arrest as a "paid piece" and stated that he was prepared to defend his position.
He spoke to Censor.NET about this.
Details
According to Shyrshyn, he was surprised to see that the corps where he serves had posted a statement regarding the situation.
"I was surprised because I joined this unit at a time when Syrskyi was Commander-in-Chief. I’m here as if in exile, and I was forbidden from giving interviews – these bans came down from the General Staff. In my opinion, I wasn’t particularly well-received in the corps, but when they saw my work – however modest – attitudes began to change. So I was pleasantly surprised by their reaction. In my view, this is a good thing and deserves respect," he said.
Who could have done this?
Shyrshyn noted that he cannot accuse any specific person at this stage.
"I would ask you to quote my words precisely. I cannot accuse any specific individual at this stage. Investigations, court proceedings and other processes will continue in the near future," said the former commander of the 47th SMB.
Shyrshyn also said that following the replacement of Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi and the General Staff leadership, he had begun to hope for change.
"We cannot afford to experiment or take the wrong steps, or make mistakes – especially deliberately – given all the circumstances, whilst assessing the situation, evaluating the enemy’s forces, and considering where we stand and the problems facing our country. We must act decisively, prudently and clearly.
Competent people have arrived who are determined to bring about the necessary changes; they are people-centred commanders focused on quality rather than meaningless quantitative indicators. But at the same time, it is important to note that the army comprises many different elements and involves many people who influence decision-making. It would be wrong to think that the day after the change of commander-in-chief, everything will change and be turned upside down. No. That will not happen. It is a system that is very sluggish and very resistant to any change. It takes time. That is the first aspect.
The second point is this: the new team comes in with its own rules; it has to take over responsibilities and posts, and get to grips with what is already happening. And this is a certain phase of, shall we say, a lull, whilst they settle into their work. Only then will they be able to make changes and implement new measures. Only in time will we see the results. There are many factors involved. It’s not a simple issue that can be resolved in one, two or three days," he explained.
Shyrshyn also emphasised that he has never had any problems with illegal substances and has never taken drugs.
"I am opposed to these things. The people who served with me know my stance on this very well. Back in the day, whilst serving as a volunteer in Svitlodar, I fought against police officers who were protecting drug addicts and the distribution of drugs. That is why I have a very negative attitude towards them, and I have never in my life allowed myself to do such a thing.
The thing is, they’re framing me for distribution, not for use. This was also a planned operation, very well organised from outside, with grand schemes devised, but those behind the case didn’t work out the details. I can say that I’m prepared for any outcome. I know I’m not guilty; I’ve got nothing to worry about. Will I have to spend some time in a pretrial detention centre because of this? I’m prepared for that too.
When they stopped me, I thought that… It was very unpleasant for me, because you have to defend yourself in your own country, to which you’ve devoted part of your life and your health, and for which you’ve sacrificed so much. And all your good deeds are wiped out in an instant. That’s how they spat on me. "It was very unpleasant," said the former commander of the 47th SMB.
He noted that everything pointed to this being a "paid piece".
What led up to it
- It should be recalled that the day before, the former commander of the 47th SMB, Oleksandr Shyrshyn, stated that drugs had been planted in his car.
- Subsequently, law enforcement authorities provided official information regarding the stopping of a car driven by the former commander of the ‘Magura’ battalion of the 47th SMB, Oleksandr Shyrshyn.
- Later, the acting head of the National Police, Maksym Tsutskiridze, stated that operational information from the Military Law Enforcement Service regarding the former commander of the 47th SMB’s "Magura" battalion, 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 SMB "Magura", had submitted a request for discharge due to the command’s "idiotic tasks".
- For his part, Yurii Butusov, Editor-in-Chief of Censor.NET, commenting on Shyrshyn’s actions, noted that the statement by Shyrshyn, commander of the 47th SMB, 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.
