The SBU conducted searches at the Ministry of Internal Affairs service center near Lutsk and at the home of its director

On November 4, officers of the Security Service of Ukraine conducted investigative operations at the Ministry of Internal Affairs service center in the village of Strumivka in Volyn, as well as at the residence of one of its managers. According to the publication “Syla Pravdy,” the searches were conducted by operatives from the Rivne branch of the SBU.

 

As Daria Tymoshkova, a journalist for “Syla Pravdy,” reported from the scene, masked law enforcement officers arrived at the facility early in the morning on November 4.  

According to the journalist, representatives of the Security Service of Ukraine conducted searches at the Ministry of Internal Affairs service center in Lutsk. Pavlo Kovalchuk, deputy head of the regional service center of the Main Service Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Rivne, Volyn, and Zhytomyr regions, also arrived at the scene. He stated that the searches of his subordinates’ offices were being conducted by officers of the Security Service of Ukraine as part of a criminal investigation.

“Searches are being conducted at the service center. I am not authorized to disclose against whom or regarding what the criminal proceedings are. There is an investigator here—ask him,” said Pavlo Kovalchuk.

The SBU investigator, responding to Pavlo Kovalchuk’s remark, said that he could not yet disclose details of the pretrial investigation.

When journalists from “Sily Pravdy” arrived, law enforcement officers were in the office of Volodymyr Shevchuk, the head of the Territorial Service Center. Later, the official, accompanied by a lawyer, SBU officers, and employees of the National Police’s Internal Security Department, left the TSC premises.

When asked by “Sila Pravdy” to comment on what was happening, Volodymyr Shevchuk replied:

“So far, no statements have been taken from me.”

– Where are they taking you now?

– We’ll tell you everything later. So far, nothing has been seized from me.

It is also known that investigative actions in this case were carried out in the village of Kulchin, at the house where the official resides and which is owned by his wife, Oksana Shevchuk.

Anna Svintsitska, spokesperson for the SBU’s Rivne Regional Office, reported that Rivne operatives are indeed conducting certain procedural and investigative actions at the service center on November 4. However, she declined to disclose details, specifically whether the case involves a particular official.

“Information regarding the course of these proceedings constitutes a secret of the pretrial investigation and therefore cannot be disclosed at this time. The criminal proceedings were initiated by investigators from the SBU Directorate in the Rivne region,” commented Anna Svintsitska. 

Source: “The Power of Truth”

Previously, the SBU confirmed that the NABU and the SAP had conducted searches at the homes of its employees.

Earlier, it was reported that searches had been conducted at the homes of high-ranking SBU officials, including Serhiy Duka, Anton Kravchuk, and Oleksandr Kovalchuk. 

NABU also reported that detectives were obstructed during investigative activities and that an SBU representative threatened to use a firearm.