The Kyiv Pechersk District court on June 25 approved the prosecutor's request to impose round-the-clock house arrest on controversial Ukrainian lawmaker Mykola Tyshchenko.
Tyshchenko was charged with illegally detaining a former soldier, the State Bureau of Investigation announced on the same day. The court required the lawmaker to surrender his passport for international travel and not leave his residence without the investigator's permission.
Lawmaker's charges were prompted by widely circulated videos from earlier in June showing Tyshchenko and his bodyguards arguing and then fighting with a veteran, Dmytro Pavlov, who was walking with his child in the city center of Dnipro.
The videos depict Tyshchenko and his bodyguards approaching Pavlov and asking for his documents, which reportedly instigated the argument and ensuing fight.
According to the bureau, Pavlov was detained for an unspecified period and sustained physical injuries during the incident. Tyshchenko later confirmed that he had been in Dnipro at the time of the attack, claiming he was there to investigate a purported network of bot farms.
After the videos circulated, Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak said that Tyshchenko's behavior was "absolutely disgraceful." Yermak added that he has known Tyshchenko for a long time and previously christened his son.
The story caused a widespread backlash from activists and soldiers, with many calling for Tyshchenko's arrest.
During the hearing, Tyshchenko said that he joined the Verkhovna Rada following the president and would continue to implement his ideas: "I came to the parliament after the president, and I continue to implement his ideas." The judge then asked him to stay on topic.
Tyshchenko is no stranger to controversy and was expelled from the parliamentary faction of Zelensky's Servant of the People party in January 2023 following a reportedly unsanctioned trip to Thailand during wartime.
Kateryna Hodunova
(Updated: )
