A court ordered the detention of two officials in the case involving the explosion in Vyshneve
The Solomyanskyi District Court of Kyiv has imposed pretrial measures on Mykola Andriyash, CEO of a company within the Ukroboronprom group, and his deputy, Ruslan Kuchynskyi. They are suspected of official negligence in connection with the detonation of ammunition in Vyshneve, Kyiv Oblast, on July 6.
Both officials were remanded in custody for 60 days without the right to post bail. According to “Suspilne” reporting from the courtroom, Ruslan Kuchynskyi’s detention period was set to last until September 14. Lawyers and prosecutors declined to comment after the hearing.
According to journalists, the CEO of the defense enterprise and his deputy for production were detained for storing ammunition in unsuitable hangars without the necessary permits near residential areas. Earlier, the Prosecutor General stated that the storage of such items near civilian residential areas is expressly prohibited by law, government resolutions, and decisions of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief’s Headquarters.
The Office of the Prosecutor General reported that both executives of the defense company were taken into custody without the possibility of bail. Investigators believe that they failed to ensure proper storage conditions for the ammunition and did not take the necessary measures to prevent dangerous consequences. On July 16, the officials were notified that they were suspected of official negligence, which, according to the investigation, led to serious consequences and loss of life. Both were also dismissed from their posts.
On the night of July 6, Russia launched a massive combined strike against Ukraine using attack drones and various types of missiles. Air defense forces intercepted 363 of the 419 launched targets; however, 29 ballistic missiles and 18 attack drones struck 34 locations. In the Kyiv region, nine people were killed and another 58 were injured as a result of the attack. In Vyshneve, nearly 500 residents were evacuated due to the threat of a secondary explosion.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine stated that the facility in Vyshneve, where the secondary explosion occurred, is not under its jurisdiction and is not subordinate to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. On July 9, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that a Russian strike had caused an explosion at an ammunition depot belonging to one of Ukroboronprom’s enterprises, and he also announced that a criminal investigation had been launched.
