The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) has reported suspicions to the commander of the 207th Separate Territorial Defense Battalion, Viktor Yushko. He is accused of abuse of power or official position, which could have caused significant harm to state interests.
This was reported by the Absolution detective agency.
According to the State Bureau of Investigation, battalion commander Yushko issued illegal orders to send military personnel to charitable aid centers in Kharkiv and Mykolaiv.
In particular, this concerns Vitaliy Shabunin, who was mobilized to this unit in the first days of the full-scale invasion. Also on the lists of fictitiously mobilized was activist Dmytro Sherembey.
The investigation established that Yushko used his official position to create a "cover" for the activities of Shabunin, who was actually not performing his duties as a military officer and was not at the place of duty.
Despite this, the battalion commander signed settlement and payment statements in 2022-2023, on the basis of which Shabunin received full financial support as a military serviceman. The total amount of illegally paid funds is over 224 thousand hryvnias.
The State Bureau of Investigation suspects Viktor Yushko of abuse of power or official position (Part 1, Article 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
According to the investigation, Yushko issued orders without legal grounds or real necessity, and also facilitated the receipt of illegal payments.
In addition, law enforcement officers believe that the commander acted in his own interests - using his connections with Shabunin to obtain illegal non-material benefits.
A pre-trial investigation is currently underway to establish all the details of the scheme and other possible individuals involved. If Viktor Yushko is found guilty, he faces up to three years in prison, restriction of the right to hold certain positions, or a fine.
At the same time, the issue of Shabunin's status and the return of illegally obtained funds remains open.
