Following an investigation into ties with the "DNR," Commander Salavatov of the Territorial Defense has been suspended, according to the command.
On October 16, media outlets published an investigation revealing that the commander of the 107th separate battalion of the Territorial Defense Forces, Sergey Salavatov, is linked to the so-called "DNR," which refers to the temporarily occupied part of the Donetsk region. On October 17, the press service of the Command of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine responded to this.
The military assured that they do not have information regarding Salavatov's involvement with illegal armed groups. However, they stated that they have sent a request to the "competent authorities" to confirm or deny the information published by journalists.
"In light of the information published on social media on October 16, 2024, the Command of the Territorial Defense Forces has initiated an internal investigation. During the investigation, Sergey Salavatov will be suspended from his duties. A corresponding decision will be made based on the investigation's results," the press service added.
It is noteworthy that initially, the post regarding Salavatov on the Territorial Defense Forces' social media "disappeared." However, a new one was soon published. As indicated by the publication in "RBK-Ukraine," the text was slightly altered.
According to media reports, the first publication also mentioned that the senior lieutenant had contacted the regional office of the Military Counterintelligence Department for the Donetsk region, requesting verification of the information about him. An investigation was conducted, and the data regarding the commander's connection to the "DNR" was not confirmed.
"No facts indicating Sergey Salavatov's involvement or any other participation in illegal armed formations, nor his collaboration with Russians, were found," the command assured.
It was also mentioned that Salavatov himself initiated a polygraph test, which revealed no illegal actions on his part.
What investigators discovered about Sergey Salavatov
Media reports indicated that in 2014, the commander of the 107th separate battalion of the Territorial Defense Forces, Sergey Salavatov, made reposts from pro-Russian and separatist groups. He explained that the publications were made by his ex-wife.
The investigation states that in 2014, Salavatov had multiple phone conversations with an employee of the so-called "Ministry of Internal Affairs of the DNR," who is wanted by the SBU. Additionally, his contacts included a militant from the Russian formation "Rusich" and a participant from the "General Assembly" in Kramatorsk.
Journalists found that the military participated in the "referendum" and supported the position of the "DNR" militants. His contacts were published in a questionnaire indicating his willingness to participate in the activities of Russian mercenaries.
It is worth noting that on October 17, NABU reported that a member of parliament was suspected of illegal enrichment exceeding 20 million hryvnias. According to journalist Oleg Novikov, this concerns the deputy from "Servant of the People," Irina Kormyshkina.
On October 17, the Office of the Prosecutor General announced to the media that a suspect in pedophilia, an employee of the Cherkasy regional prosecutor's office, Sergey Harmash, had been arrested for 60 days. He is suspected under three articles of the Criminal Code.