An Irpin city council member has been detained in Bukovina in connection with a case involving the smuggling of men across the border — media reports
The SBU has detained Mykyta Shatilin, a member of the Irpin City Council and head of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, whom investigators consider the main suspect in a case involving the illegal smuggling of men abroad. According to law enforcement officials, he may have been the organizer of the scheme, which has been operating since at least last year.
The operation took place in Bukovina in cooperation between the Security Service of Ukraine and the National Police, and, according to preliminary data, it involves a systematic scheme for the departure of men subject to military conscription from the country, reports the Telegram channel .
According to the investigation, Mykyta Shatilin was detained by SBU officers during a special operation that concluded a months-long investigation into the activities of the channel for illegally smuggling men out of the country. Law enforcement officials consider him a key figure in this case, which may have involved dozens of instances of men leaving the country.
Official records indicate that Shatilin serves as the head of the “Batkivshchyna” parliamentary faction in the Irpin City Council and as the head of the department for veteran policy. It is precisely this dual role that has drawn heightened attention to the case.
According to the NACP’s 2024 declaration data, Mykyta Shatilin received a salary from the SBU amounting to approximately 1.28 million UAH, which raises further questions about his previous activities and official duties.
There are also public reports of his family’s possible international connections. In particular, it is reported that the detainee’s mother, Svitlana Shatilina, was allegedly linked to the activities of the Mission of the Democratic Forces of Belarus in Kyiv, which she headed on behalf of Svitlana Tikhanovskaya. Official authorities have not commented on these details separately.
The investigation is currently ongoing, and law enforcement is examining the possible role of other individuals in the scheme and the scope of its activities. The final legal assessment of the detainee’s actions will be made by the court.
Law enforcement officials dismantled a large-scale scheme in Bukovina involving the illegal smuggling of men across the state border. According to the investigation, the organizers helped at least ten people leave Ukraine each month, earning over $700,000 in the process.
