Murder of an TCC employee: a preventive measure was chosen for the suspects
4 February 2025 09:27
Pyryatyn City Court has imposed a pre-trial restraint on a man accused of killing a TCC employee. He was ordered to be held in custody until April 1 without the right to be released on bail, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports with reference to Suspilne.
The murder suspect’s name is Vadim Kuzub, he is 40 years old.
In court, the prosecutor’s office filed a motion to impose a pre-trial restraint in the form of detention for 60 days from the moment of detention. Prosecutor Oleh Beztsinnyi insisted that the suspect should not be granted bail, arguing that he had used violence against military personnel.
“I believe that this particular measure of restraint was adequate in this particular case, given the relevance of this criminal offense and the demands of society,”
– said Oleh Beztsinnyi, deputy head of the Lubny District Prosecutor’s Office.
At the same time, the defense of the suspect Vadym Kuzub proposed to choose a different measure of restraint – round-the-clock house arrest without the right to post bail. Lawyer Valeriy Masyuk noted that his client fully cooperated with the investigation: he testified to law enforcement officers, took part in an investigative experiment and indicated the location of the weapon that wounded the TCC soldier. The suspect also expressed his willingness to compensate the victims for moral and material damage.
Vadym Kuzub himself stated that he did not intend to kill the soldier, but only wanted to frighten and neutralize him. He also drew attention to the long time it took for the ambulance to arrive, which, according to him, could have contributed to the victim’s death.
“When he was still alive, he was shouting ‘Ivanovych, Ivanovych’. That’s what I remember. The ambulance arrived in 40 minutes, and he died quickly. I didn’t know he was dead, I thought he was alive. I didn’t want to kill him, I just wanted to take Shcherbak Yevhen”,
– the suspect said during the court hearing.
After considering the arguments of the parties, Judge Natalia Nagorna ruled that Kuzub be held in custody for 60 days without the right to be released on bail.
“The suspect agreed to cooperate with the investigation, participated in investigative actions, in particular, an investigative experiment was conducted with him, where he showed how he committed this criminal offense, what ways he had to escape, how he disposed of the soldier’s weapon. At this stage, he pleads guilty,”
– noted Oleg Beztsinnyi.
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What punishment does the suspect face?
Vadym Kuzub is charged under several articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:
- part 1 of Article 115 (“Premeditated murder”);
- part 3 of Article 262 (“Theft, misappropriation, extortion of firearms”);
- article 114-1 (2) (“Obstructing the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine”).
Another suspect in the case, Yevhen Shcherbak, who was being transported to military exercises by TCC employees, was also imposed a preventive measure in the form of detention without bail. He is charged with aiding and abetting the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during a special period.
Both suspects face 7 to 15 years in prison under the charges.
What happened at the gas station – the investigation’s version
on January 31, 2025, employees of the Poltava RTCC and JV transported the forcibly mobilized Yevhen Shcherbak, along with a group of other men, to a military unit for military exercises. During the trip, he called Vadym Kuzub several times to inform him of the bus’s route. When he learned that his friend did not have time to get to the planned stop, the Poltava resident decided to delay the bus – he pretended to feel bad and asked to stop for a few minutes.
Later, at a gas station in Pyriatyn, the suspect, Vadym Kuzub, wearing a gray balaclava and pixelated pants, approached an employee of the Poltava Regional Military and Civilian Center who was accompanying the mobilized men and demanded that they give him the weapon, threatening him with a hunting rifle. When he refused, he opened fire on the employee. He was seriously wounded and died on the spot, according to the investigation.
The attacker then took possession of the deceased’s assault rifle and fled with Yevhen Shcherbak. However, both were detained the same day.
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