UKRAINE, Jul 16 — The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) suspects Ukrainian top anti-corruption activist and soldier, Vitalii Shabunin, of fraud and evasion of military service. 

Ukrainian human rights activist platform Zmina published a public statement backed by 90 human rights and civil society organizations that asked authorities to “stop using the justice system for political reprisals.” 

The statement is addressed to the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, and the head of the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI).

Vitalii Shabunin is the head of the NGO Anti-Corruption Action Center (ACAC), which has operated since 2012. After the Russian full-scale invasion, Shabunin joined the army and served in the 43rd separate mechanized brigade as a sergeant and was transferred to Chuhuiiv in Kharkiv Oblast a few days before being charged.  

On July 11, the ACAC reported that the SBI searched Shabunin’s apartment in Kyiv and his military unit in Kharkiv Oblast. The organization said that the law enforcement officers took the activist’s phone, and later added that phones and tablets were also taken from the activist’s wife and children. According to the ACAC, the SBI conducted searches with “violations, without orders, without the presence of lawyers.” 

The same day, SBI reported that they had given a notice of suspicion to “one human rights activist” for evading military service and fraud for receiving combat pay during “evasion.” 

Alleged evasion and fraud, according to the SBI, happened when Shabunin was on a business trip to the state National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (NAPC) under his unit commander’s orders.

In the statement, Zmina notes that during Shabunin’s business trip to the NAPC, Shabunin received standard financial support as a military serviceman under the current legislation, without any additional payments for participation in combat. 

The official SBI report on their website also said Shabunin used the volunteer-provided car for his own needs, but the SBI-issued notice of suspicion received by the activist doesn’t mention it, according to the ACAC.

Zmina said that such actions of organizations that are conducting a pre-trial investigation are either “complete incompetence of officials” or a targeted attack to put pressure on Vitalii Shabunin, who kept criticizing politicians while serving in the military.

“Criminal prosecution has signs of being politically motivated and constitutes an abuse of the law,” Zmina’s statement said, claiming that the case violates Ukraine’s obligations under Article 18 (Limitation on use of restrictions on rights) of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and its Article 6 (Right to a fair trial) and Article 10 (Freedom of expression). 

On July 15, the Pechersk District Court of Kyiv imposed a personal recognizance as a measure of restraint on Vitaliy Shabunin as a suspect in this case until August 30. Under this restriction, Shabunin is prohibited from leaving the military unit, except for military service, from communicating with NAPC officials and his former commander Viktor Yushko, from appearing at the NAPC building, and from traveling abroad without surrendering his passport. With this decision, the judge fully granted the prosecutors’ motion.

Large Ukrainian media outlets Ukrainska Pravda and The Kyiv Independent published editorials supporting Shabunin, and the ACAC’s team and Shabunin himself deny the charges.

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