The testimony of former employee of the Belarusian special forces Igor Makar will be taken into account in the investigation of the criminal case on the masterminds of the murder of journalist Pavel Sheremet, with the appearance of the "Belarusian trace" the investigation will have a thorough approach, Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova said.

"The investigation will take into account everything in its investigation, of course, and this testimony too ... Considering that there are too many questions to the case, and with the appearance of the so-called 'Belarusian trace' it is already international policy, we will approach the investigation very thoroughly. The investigation is studying everything," Venediktova said in an exclusive interview with the Interfax-Ukraine agency, answering the question of how important the testimony of the Belarusian informant is for the investigation of the case of those who ordered the murder of Sheremet and whether the investigation will take them into account. The Prosecutor General emphasized: "The case is resonant both from the point of view of civil position and from the point of view of law enforcement agencies, because, as you know, there was a case of falsification of materials by the investigation. But it was an evaluative story that was submitted by the defense."

As reported, on January 4, 2021, the Ukrayinska Pravda Internet edition with reference to the published audio recordings and the EUobserver Belgian edition said that the murder of Sheremet was prepared by the special services of Belarus. As follows from the recording of the conversations of head of the State Security Committee of Belarus in 2008-2012 Vadim Zaitsev, transferred to Ukrayinska Pravda by the Belarusian opposition, the secret services of Belarus in 2012, by order of President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, discussed the possibility of detonating Sheremet with explosives, which was carried out four years later.

Later that day, the National Police of Ukraine announced that it had received information about possible masterminds of the murder of journalist Pavel Sheremet - documents and audio recordings made no later than 2012.

The department also said that the investigation received permission to conduct investigative actions in one of the European countries, and the disposer of the transmitted information was invited to conduct investigative actions.

On the same evening, ex-employee of the Belarusian special forces Igor Makar, who distributed the audio recordings and sent them for investigation to Ukraine and the European Union, announced his readiness to arrive in Kyiv and give testimony.

The National Police of Ukraine reported that they are interested in obtaining additional information that may concern those who ordered the murder of Sheremet in Kyiv, investigative actions were carried out with the person who is the manager of the audio recording in which allegedly KGB officials of Belarus discuss the elimination of political opponents.

As reported, Sheremet was killed in a car explosion in central Kyiv on July 20, 2016. The explosion occurred when Sheremet was driving a vehicle that belonged to the Ukrayinska Pravda co-founder Olena Prytula, who was not in it at the time. The journalist died at the scene shortly following the bomb blast. The suspicion was notified to military nurse Yana Duhar, volunteer and pediatric cardiac surgeon Yulia Kuzmenko, as well as musician and ATO veteran Andriy Antonenko, all of them were detained. The pretrial investigation against the suspects was completed on May 22. None of the accused admits his guilt in involvement in the murder of Sheremet.