Public relations service (investigation)
Corrupt Ukrainian politicians are very sensitive to criticism and have already mastered modern technologies of countering those who do not agree with them – information campaigns against activists and journalists and the army of bots in social networks that work out political orders. But when representatives of the government begin to attract state power resources to reduce accounts with civil society, it is unlikely that such actions have anything in common with the law. The events of April 9, with the participation of SBU workers under the house of Vitali Shabunin, the chairman of the NGO Center for Counteracting Corruption, became a special case when they managed to grab officials by the arm. It seems that the post-Majdal government has defined civil society as its opponent, not as a partner.
On April 9, several people with placards protested under the building of Vitali Shabunin, the head of the NGO “Anti-Corruption Center” in Kiev. The rally was obviously order-oriented, it was difficult for the participants to explain why they had come, what their posters meant and what exactly they were demanding from the activist.
Meeting under the building of the chairman of the Center for Counteracting Corruption in Kiev, April 9, 2017
This action might not have attracted much attention and would have been similar to other similar cases of billing with public activists, but there is something that makes this case exceptional – in times of rapid technology development it has become easier to find evidence. For example, that the events of that day are quite specific representatives of the authorities, namely, the employees of the Security Service of Ukraine, receive taxpayer money not at all to fight social activists.
Activists of the public organization “Avtomaydan” filmed an action on the quadrocopter. Because they have drones, they sometimes cooperate with law enforcement officers when they ask for technical assistance. So it was this time, says the chairman of “Automeidan” Alexei Gritsenko.
“I was called by a respected person, Zhora Turchak, who fought at the Donetsk airport. He asked for help with shooting from the drone, as law enforcement authorities often ask, because they do not have such a technical capability. They said that it would be “Separ” which shoot, “- he tells the chronology.
The head of “Automeidan” Alexei Gritsenko
Therefore, Avtomaydanovtsy singled out the drone and operator Oleg Pushak, who was a direct participant in the events. He filmed the action under the clear guidance of the head of the department for the protection of national state of the SBU Roman Matkovsky.
“On Sunday (April 9 – Ed.) We met at the building of the SBU. Matkovsky said that it will be necessary to shoot a quadrocopter in the dacha array, which will take place near one of the houses, some specific action. Later, when we arrived at the “Slavutich”, we were expecting another bus, a bus with people. We waited for these people, they (the SBU staff – ed.) Communicated that now they must come, that now they are coming out, “- says Oleg Pushak of the events of that day.
The operator of the drone says that after waiting for the second minibus with the protesters, they went further to the scene of the events with an agreed motorcade. Ahead was driving, pointing the road, a minibus with an employee of the SBU, and behind him – a minibus with protesters.
Oleg Pushak filmed on April 9, 2017 a rally under the building of Vitaly Shabunin
Avtomaydanivets says that the entire process from the beginning to the end took place under the guidance of the SBU workers – both the meeting and his video shooting: “They completely supervised the process, when it starts and so on, the photographer from our bus went to them and they reacted calmly” .
Journalists Schem decided to find confirmation that they were really going to the action right from under the SBU and indeed along the road joined a minibus with protesters just at the metro station “Slavutich”. In modern smartphones there is a function, automatically fixes and remembers the route, which the owner of the phone moves from geolocation. Such data is now often used as evidence in court. The activist from “Avtomaydan” agreed to share with us information about his movements for that day.
Oleg Pushak shares with “schemes” information about his movements April 9, 2017
Therefore, “Diagrams” were able to graphically reproduce the events of April 9, not only from the oral testimonies of Oleg Pushak, but also to support them with the route fixed in the history of the Google maps program on his phone.
At about one in the afternoon the “cyborg” Zhora and the autoworker Oleg with the drones came under the building of the Security Service in Zolotovorotskaya Street – the SBU did not come up with any other place to start the operation.
At half-past two they were on a dark blue minibus, along with Roman Matkovsky and several other people, probably also employees of the Security Service, came to the exit from the metro station “Slavutich”, where they waited about 40 minutes. There also came a white minibus, together they went to the house of the chairman of the board of the GPK Vitaly Shabunin.
Exactly three white cars with people left for a few meters to the place of the action, and a blue minibus drove to the next street, from where the shot was taken from the drone.
“Schemes” received and reviewed all originals from the quadrocopter. The blue minibus hit the frame at the very beginning of the action. People saw him on the spot.
Some time after the start of the rally, Oleg’s auto-soldier Oleg and “cyborg” Zhora found out in the “anti-corruption activist Vitaly Shabunin promised by the” separatists. ” They reported this to the SBU workers present, but they continued the action, although they did not even later take the video from the drone, for which they were generally attracted.
In addition to important evidence of a direct participant in the events, the “Schemes” were looking for more evidence of the participation of SBU officers in the organization of the action. To do this, we followed the same route by which two minibuses, according to Oleg, were traveling to the scene – they were looking for cameras that could be fixed, indeed, the SBU officers went to the action with a motorcade along with people with posters. After a number of unsuccessful attempts, finally, the cameras that recorded the video for that day and just at that time were found.
At 14:56, 7 minutes before the action starts, two minibuses appear on the video, which fall under the description of the participants in the events.
Minibuses falling under the description of participants in the events.
Ahead is the dark blue Volkswagen T5
Just behind the Volkswagen T5 follows the white Mercedes Viano W369
Subsequently, these images were shown by Automeidan’s Oleg Pushak, who was on the scene. He recognized the machines and confirmed that they were them. Thus, “Schemes” collected a whole series of evidence and evidence that behind the protest action under the activist’s building and his shooting are very specific workers of the Security Service.
“Schemes” collected a number of evidence that behind the rally under the house of Shabunin is the SBU
In particular, the operation was led by Roman Matkovsky, head of the Department of National Security of the SBU. Therefore, the “Circuits” sent a written request to the Security Service to find out: a special operation under the house of an anti-corruption officer, led by a leader so important for such times, when military operations continue in the east of the country, is the department his own initiative or was it authorized by SBU chairman Vasily Hrytsak?
Within a few hours, the press secretary of the Security Service, Yelena Gitlyanskaya, responded to the Facebook network without commenting on their facts on the merits.
To achieve the comment of the head of department of protection of national statehood of Roman Matkovsky it was possible not at once. I had to wait for him under the house where he lives. By that time, it had been a week since the SBU officially denied any participation of its employees in the shares on April 9. During this time, Matkovsky seems to have had his own version of events, which should at least somehow explain the incident.
“There is a whole mountain of registered shares in Kiev. I received a signal, I reacted. This is a serious problem now in Kiev, in Ukraine, “he said.
According to Roman Matkovsky, the SBU was working on the customers of the paid shares. And he personally – head of the national security department – decided to check the available information: “I’m not lazy, I’m checking personally.”
During conversation with journalists, the official of the Security Service of Ukraine was noticeably lost in his own words. At first he tried to convince me that the plan was the following: to take off the custom stock from the drony, and then through an intermediary with whom he had a connection, to offer this video to the customer of the stock and thus to leave on it.
When asked if he has a customer contact, he says: “No, I have an intermediary. That is, I saw an intermediary who, logically, had to take this video and give it to the customer. So I had a connection. ”
However, for 6 minutes of conversation he already denies that he had a connection with an intermediary.
“Yes, how will I communicate with the intermediary? Of course not. Well, how will I communicate with the intermediary? “He exclaims.
Journalists of the program asked about whether it was possible to achieve some results and to go to the customer of the paid rally, if that was the goal. “What are the results? The cameraman said that it was Shabunin, I said that it does not interest me, and we curled up, “Roman Matkovsky said.
So, the operator-Avtomaydanovtsy, at last, did not even take the video of the drone, for which, according to Matkovsky, the whole special operation was allegedly started. At the same time, Roman Matkovsky says that he does not give up hope and will come out to the customer, which he hunted, another time.
– So you did not go to the customers of the action?
“Let’s get out where they’re going!” They will still do something.
But in a few minutes the position of Roman Matkovsky again changed:
“Is there any continuation in this case?”
– But what’s the matter? No cases.
Finally, the camera crew asked why the SBU employees acted in such a coordinated manner with the protesters: they waited for them at the metro station “Slavutich” and then drove along together with a cortege, which is recorded on the video. “No, it was not. We did not go together at all, “answered the SBU officer.
This was the explanation after a week of reflection on the whole service. Roman Matkovskiy says – the management about the incident reported: “Of course, he said that there was such an incident. Possible consequences, given the relationship of the service of Shabunin. ”
“Relationships service for Shabunin” – this is a court that began in March this year. The SBU has classified electronic declarations about the incomes and property of all its employees, even the most public administration, considering Vasily Gritsak and his deputies. Ukrainian activists consider such secrecy illegal and even on one of the shares came under the SBU with placards.
In the photo, the team saw Roman Matkovski, he then went out to the protesters.
It takes less than 2 weeks – and people with placards have already come to the house of activist Shabunin. And Matkovsky in the next street directed the shooting of this action from the drone.
Surprisingly, after our conversation with Roman Matkovsky “schemes” received a letter from Elena Gitlianskaya. Although he almost completely repeated her post, but with clarifications: SBU in the course of work can restrict the rights and freedoms of citizens, and all those who help the service do so voluntarily. However, specific questions are essentially left unanswered.
Alexandra Maitviychuk is engaged in research of political persecution for 10 years. After the Revolution of dignity, activists ceased to conduct such full monitoring, but for the time being are again concerned about certain methods of the activities of the authorities
“They have already picked up the outlines of a targeted campaign and for me the only issue is left – either this campaign is sanctioned from above, or this is a specific initiative of certain individuals. This beats not only the activists who are engaged in the fight against corruption, the campaign to discredit – it hits the entire civil society, “- says Alexander Matviychuk.
Therefore, is not such an attempt an attempt of political pressure, such an exemplary response to the claim of activists to the court to force the Security Service of Ukraine to report to the citizens, and not to hide under the seal “secretly” where it is not provided for by law and common sense? And correctly sets the priorities of the Security Service, which should prevent external and internal threats to the country? In the interests of determining his enemy? For example, the answers to these questions should be given to the wake of the Keriwitz service. And if not, then the state.