Prosecutor General's Office confirms completion of investigation into Savchenko-Ruban case
Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko has confirmed the completion of the investigation against Ukrainian MP Nadiia Savchenko and head of the Officer Corps prisoner release center Volodymyr Ruban.
"The investigation into the case of Ukrainian MP Nadiia Savchenko and citizen Ruban has been completed. We have received all the necessary evidence during this investigation, which confirms the main theory of preparations for a large-scale terrorist attack in the center of the Ukrainian capital by using weapons that were given to culprits Savchenko and Ruban with the knowledge of Russian officers in the post of lieutenant colonel and colonel on the territory of the 'Donetsk People's Republic' after consultations conducted by Savchenko and [DPR leader Alexander] Zakharchenko," Lutsenko said at the firing range of the Alpha special operations center in Kyiv region on Thursday.
He noted that the next stage would be familiarizing the defense team with the case materials.
"After the completion of this procedure, the case will be sent to court. Paying attention to the amount of evidence received, I think that the trial should start this year and enter its active phase. I will not comment on when it can make a final decision, since the trial is exclusive competence of the judges who will be appointed," he added.
According to Lutsenko, lawyers and defendants in this case are using all the processes "as a tribune for [restoring their reputation], and often for anti-government slanderous statements."
"What happened during the pretrial investigation by Savchenko, Ruban and their defense team makes me think that the next process will also be used to discredit the Ukrainian state," Lutsenko added.