Police are looking for witnesses to a possible injury during a hunting trip in Mykolaiv region: Were there councillors and officials there?

Police are investigating information about a possible gunshot wound to a man during a hunting trip that may have taken place over the weekend in the Voznesensk district of Mykolaiv region.

A statement announcing the start of the investigation was posted on the official website of the Main Department of the National Police in Mykolaiv region on the morning of 22 December.

Statement of the Main Department of the National Police on the start of the investigation. Screenshot by NikVesti.

The reason for the inspection was a post on the Telegram channel of former regional council member Svitlana Fedorova. She claimed that the day before, a group of officials had allegedly gone hunting for game in the Voznesenskyi district of Mykolaiv region.

Regional council session on 18 December, Anton Tabunschyk and his deputies: Denys Andrieiev and Ihor Shcherbyna

As a result of careless handling of weapons, the deputy chairman of the Mykolaiv Regional Council, Denys Andrieiev, was wounded, who was celebrating his birthday the next day, on 21 December. Similar information was received from a source in the regional council by journalists of the publication «PN».

On the eve of the incident, on 18 December, the Mykolaiv Regional Council held a plenary session and granted the companies «Myslyvets-2012», «Prometheus», «Shyrokolanivske» and «Yager 2025» permission to use hunting grounds, in particular in the Voznesenskyi district of Mykolaiv region, for 25 years — until December 2050.

The day before, the regional council granted permission to use hunting grounds

The day before, the regional council granted permission to use hunting grounds

According to the police, the information about the possible incident was registered in the Unified Register of Statements and Reports of Criminal Offences. Currently, law enforcement officers are investigating all the circumstances of the incident, after which they will provide a legal assessment in accordance with applicable law. The department also called on citizens with any information about the possible incident to contact the police by calling (0512) 531521.

NikVesti tried to contact the people whom the former MP mentioned as possible participants in the hunt in Voznesensk district:

• Anton Tabunschyk, head of the Mykolaiv Regional Council;

• Councillor and his deputy Ihor Shcherbyna;

• Deputy Head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration for Territorial Defence, Heorhii Reshetilov;

• Vitalii Danyla, deputy head of the National Police in Mykolaiv region.

The spokesperson for the Mykolaiv Regional Council, Anna Chepova, said that the head of the regional council was at home preparing for the defence of his master's thesis on «Mechanisms of communication between regional councils and the public in Ukraine», and his deputy Denys Andrieiev has been on leave since 20 December.

«Now the police are checking everything. I'm talking about those listed there. The chairman was at home, Andreev was on holiday. We are not passing judgement. We also learnt everything from the channels. I am not an investigator to refute or confirm,» said Anton Tabunschyk's spokeswoman.

In a comment to NikVesti, the deputy head of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration, Heorhii Reshetilov, also denied his participation in the hunt along with other officials.

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«No, I did not celebrate my birthday with Denys Mykolaiovych yesterday. I read somewhere in telegram channels that we went hunting on a weekday. I did not organise a hunt with him. And I have not seen him recently, and I unequivocally deny this information,» said Heorhii Reshetilov.

Deputy Head of the Main Department of the National Police in Mykolaiv region, police lieutenant colonel Vitalii Danyla also denied the information.

«Firstly, no comment. I was definitely not there. I was at work, so I'm sorry. There is a press service of the National Police, please call them and let them comment. I was at work, doing my job, not somewhere else. I'm sorry, but it's definitely not true,» said Vitalii Danyla.

Deputy Head of Mykolaiv Regional Council Denys Andreiev. Photo: NikVesti

The editorial team has not yet been able to contact Denys Andrieiev, the only person who can answer whether there was a hunt at all, whether he was shot and who was with him. However, the very fact that the hunting was organised after the session voted on the hunting grounds permit may also create additional risks of a possible conflict of interest when councillors vote.

According to NikVesti, police investigators have also not yet identified the person who might have suffered a gunshot wound during the hunt.

As a reminder, on 18 December, the Mykolaiv Regional Council held its last plenary meeting of the year, where it granted permission to use hunting grounds to 4 companies.

The land was granted to private companies for 25 years (until December 2050) for the purpose of «breeding game, creating pheasant enclosures» and developing recreational facilities and services.