Former President Petro Poroshenko said on July 16 that he had posted bail for Ukrainian ex-intelligence officer Roman Chervinskyi to the amount of Hr 9 million ($218,000) following his arrest in April 2023.
Roman Chervinskyi had previously served in Ukraine's defense intelligence agency (HUR). He was indicted by the State Security Service (SBU) in April 2023 for abuse of power. According to SBU officials, Chervinskyi, along with others in HUR, tried to hijack a Russian Air Force aircraft whose pilot was allegedly planning to defect to Ukraine.
Poroshenko, who has consistently criticized Chervinsky's detention, said he was open to pay a part of the bail on July 15. The lawmakers of Poroshenko-led European Solidarity party offered to bail the former ex-intelligence officer out a few days before.
"I paid the entire bail of Hr 9 million for Roman Chervinsky's freedom this morning. I hope that after a year of abuse and countless court hearings, he will be free today," the politician wrote on Facebook.
According to law enforcement officials, the colonel, together with other individuals, decided to arbitrarily conduct a special operation to arbitrarily seize a Russian Aerospace Forces aircraft whose pilot allegedly agreed to defect to Ukraine. State authorities did not approve the operation.
Chervinskyi's actions, the investigation said, allowed Russia to discover the location of the Ukrainian Air Force aircraft at the Kanatove airfield. Moscow then launched a strike against the area in July 2022, killing a unit commander and injuring 17 other Ukrainian servicemen.
Chervinskyi was ultimately charged with "exceeding authority or official authority by a military official."
The ex-intelligence officer has also been linked to the Sept. 2022 attack on the Russian-built Nord Stream gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea.
Chris York
(Updated: )
