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After loud political statements, there are always several stages of events accompanied by emotions.
Firstly, emotions subside, leaving behind the realities that everyone faces personally, without loudspeakers or collective euphoria.
So, let’s briefly summarize what has happened in Irpin and beyond in recent days.
- The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) served Irpin Mayor Oleksandr Markushyn with a notice of suspicion in one of the 18 criminal cases in which he is implicated. The court chose detention as a preventive measure. The first lawyer’s statement was at least confident, even if not substantive. Everything seemed to go smoothly in court until Markushyn himself began to speak, showing significant inconsistencies in his testimony and providing different reasons for his travels.
- Markushyn failed to provide the court with any evidence that: he received drones from a donor in Italy; that he brought them into Ukraine (customs data show no record of importation); or that he handed them over to anyone (as the serial numbers would immediately reveal he did not import them). Thus, the story of a volunteer mission fell apart.
- As of August 2022, Markushyn had no right to leave the country as a single parent. While he was entitled to deferment, he did not have the right to cross the border. The court considered this, ruling that he had no legal grounds for leaving the country either as a volunteer or as a parent. The law applies equally to everyone. Why was Markushyn allowed to leave the country while tens of thousands of single fathers were not?
- On January 24, employees of Irpin City Council held a rally on the Central Square in support of the mayor. The mayor made a public call for people to join the rally and support him. A third of the participants were city council employees, pro-Markushyn deputies, and municipal enterprise workers.
- The rally had a maximum of 250–300 participants.
- Over 80,000 people live in the Irpin community. The 300 participants at the rally represent less than 1% (0.4%) of the total population. This was a Saturday when many people were not strictly required to work, and the square is usually busy on weekends.
- Regarding travel. Officials and other Markushyn supporters remain silent about the fact that Markushyn forged documents from the charitable foundation “Ridne Selo” to organize a trip abroad for his godfather, Serhii Rosstalnyi. Rosstalnyi’s companies “coincidentally” received over 500 million UAH for the reconstruction of Irpin, after which he fled to the U.S. on the mayor’s recommendation.
- Beyond travel issues. Markushyn is currently implicated in multiple criminal investigations. These include falsifying session decisions, kidnapping, forging commission protocols, embezzling local budget funds, stealing documents, and more. It is worth noting that these investigations have been ongoing for some time, with witnesses providing testimony. Does it mean that if someone benefits from having Markushyn in the mayor’s office, he should not bear responsibility for his crimes and can continue misappropriating the community’s budget?
- Rally organizers actively promoted support for Markushyn from the military and veterans. However, there is a simple fact: the military in Ukraine remains apolitical, and rallies, especially during martial law, are a clear political act. Therefore, most refrained from putting pressure on the court and investigative bodies through rallies and mass actions. Ukraine is a legal state, which distinguishes us from the Russians.
- On the eve of the full-scale invasion, Markushyn allocated hundreds of land plots to individuals who have no idea where Irpin is. Should these plots not have been given to veterans and families of the fallen?
Conclusion. Irpin needs to overcome this political crisis and give the community a chance for recovery and development. Rallies will not restore the damaged homes of thousands of residents of destroyed Irpin.