Who is behind the killing of activists

It was recently reported that Kateryna Hondziuk, who was attacked with acid in the summer, has died. The journalist and activist spent a long time in a clinic, where she underwent several operations. She suffered burns covering 30% of her body.

Doctors and friends believed that Katya would pull through and return to a normal life. However, the woman unexpectedly suffered a blood clot, which caused her heart to stop permanently several days ago.

Leaders of several countries have demanded that Ukrainian law enforcement agencies find and punish those responsible. It is precisely at this stage that problems most often arise.

The situation with solving crimes in Ukraine

At present, virtually no mastermind behind attacks on activists is in prison. In the best case, law enforcement officers detain the perpetrators. But even such cases are rare.

Take, for example, the case of former ATO serviceman Vitaliy Oleishko – callsign “Sarmat”. He was shot twice in the back in close proximity to his home, in the presence of his wife and an army comrade. The crime was committed on 31 July 2018. However, the alleged mastermind of the murder is still at large. Rumours suggest that it is former Party of Regions member and Berdiansk power broker – Aleksandr Ponomarev.

It is him that activists accuse of the high-profile crime. Ponomarev bankrupted and bought up a number of state enterprises for a pittance. The businessman also acquired the land of a sanatorium for children suffering from tuberculosis.

According to eyewitnesses, Oleishko and Ponomarev had a long-standing conflict. The veteran had the courage to stand up against the businessman. Presumably, this was the reason for the contract to kill the ATO fighter.

An optimistic scenario of events

One hopes that the outcome in the case of Kateryna Hondziuk will be different. Optimism is inspired by the court ruling regarding the attackers of Tetyana Chornovol, who recently received actual prison sentences.

Ukrainian law enforcement officers promise to investigate Hondziuk’s murder and still find those responsible. According to them, the police currently have sufficient material to fully solve the crime.