Kharkiv Sports Palace terrorist attack suspects found guilty, but released for swap
Frunzensky District Court in Kharkiv has found suspects of terrorist attack near Kharkiv Palace of Sports in February 2015, Volodymyr Dvornikov, Viktor Tetiutsky and Serhiy Bashlykov guilty and sentenced them to life imprisonment. However, the measure of restraint has been immediately changed for personal obligation and the suspects have been released.
Previously, Prosecutor Volodymyr Lymar said that Russia "as matter of principle" included the suspects in the terrorist attack near Kharkiv Palace of Sports in its list of prisoners to be exchanged. .
The court recognized Dvornikov as guilty under Part 3 of Article 258 (committing of a terrorist attack), Part 1 of the Article 263 (illegal use of ammunition) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, Tetiutsky and Bashlykov: under Part 5 of Article 27, Part 3 of Article 258 (complicity in committing a terrorist attack) and Part 1 of Article 263 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. All three have been sentenced to life imprisonment and confiscation of all their personal property.
The court also allowed civil lawsuits to be opened.
The court also granted the petition of the prosecutor, announced as part of the execution of the president's peace plan to change the preventive measure before the sentence comes into force from detention to a personal obligation. As noted in the motivation part, the court changed the preventive measure "in the light of exceptional circumstances."
In accordance with a court decision, they must be released immediately.
The rest of the verdict may be appealed against within 30 days from the date of its announcement. If the appeal is not filed within this time, the sentence will enter into force.
As reported, on February 22, 2015 near the Sports Palace in Kharkiv, during the formation of a column for a procession on the occasion of the anniversary of the victory of the Revolution of Dignity, an explosion occurred. As a result of the attack, two people were killed (including Ihor Tolmachov, one of the coordinators of the local Euromaidan). Some 11 people were injured and two more people later died in the hospital. .
On the fact of the explosion, information was filed in the Unified Register of Pretrial Investigations and a criminal case was opened under Article 258 of the Ukraine's Criminal Code (terrorist attack).
On February 26, 2015, as part of anti-terrorism measures, Ukrainian security officers detained three residents of the region on suspicion of a terrorist attack on February 22. All three declared a suspicion under Part 3 of Article 258 (act of terrorism) and Part 1 of Article 263 (illegal handling of weapons) of Ukraine's Criminal Code.
April 22, 2015, the indictment was sent to Kharkiv's Frunzensky District Court.
On February 22, 2017, prosecutor of Kharkiv region, Yuriy Danylchenko, stated that the defendants and their lawyers were using every opportunity to delay the trial. He also stressed that "the trial is 90% completed."
On April 21, 2017, the court decided not to continue the hearing of the case after a change in the composition of the panel of judges, but to start considering it again, as one of the accused insisted on this.