Kyiv court releases Ukraine's top anti-corruption activist on recognizance as his lawyer dismisses the charges
Editor's note: This story is being updated.
The Kyiv Pechersk District Court ruled to place Vitaliy Shabunin, head of the Anti-Corruption Action Center's (AntAC) executive board, on a personal recognizance until Aug. 20, according to a Kyiv Independent journalist present at the hearing.
Personal recognizance, also known as "own recognizance" or "release on recognizance," is a legal term that refers to a defendant's release from custody without the need to post bail.
Shabunin, who is a current member of the country's Armed Forces, was charged on July 11 with evading military service and fraud — an accusation he and his team reject.
Shabunin is one of Ukraine's most influential anti-corruption crusaders. He told the Kyiv Independent in May that three criminal cases had been opened against him since the start of the full-scale war.
Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) said that the new charges are linked to a criminal case involving Viktor Yushko, a serviceman and former commander of the 207th battalion of the Kyiv territorial defense, where Shabunin served at the beginning of the full-scale war.
Yushko is under investigation for alleged abuse of power, accused of authorizing fictitious business trips for military personnel, including Shabunin.
Yushko is suspected of approving Shabunin's business trip to the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP), allegedly allowing him to avoid combat duties.
According to the bureau, Shabunin stands accused of taking a monthly military allowance of Hr 50,000 ($1,200) while absent from his unit.
Serhii Rokun, Shabunin’s lawyer, described the charges as "absolutely unfounded" and said they are considering an appeal.
Shabunin said he believed the cases against him to be politically motivated and linked to the President's Office Head Andriy Yermak and his controversial Deputy Chief of Staff Oleh Tatarov.
Tatarov, a powerful but divisive figure in Ukrainian politics, was charged with bribery before joining the presidential administration, but law enforcement agencies obstructed the corruption case against him and eventually dropped it.
"(The President's Office), through the Tatarov-controlled State Bureau of Investigation and anonymous Telegram channels, seeks to turn Vitaliy Shabunin into a 'tax evader' and 'swindler,'" AntAC said in a column published in the Ukrainian media.
The Kyiv Independent has previously reached out to the President's Office but have not received a comment.
"I’m convinced this is an attempt to use me as an example to show all whistleblowers and critics that (President Volodymyr) Zelensky and his team can do whatever they want, to whomever they want, whenever they want," Shabunin said in the court.
If convicted, Shabunin can face up to 10 years in prison.
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