Investigation acknowledged professional activities as main version for murder of Sheremet

Investigation determined the professional activities as main version for murder of journalist Pavlo Sheremet.

As reported by Oleksandr Vakulenko, the Deputy Head of the National Police, during a press conference on February 8.

“The investigation is considering the professional activities of Sheremet both in Ukraine and abroad as top-priority version”, – he said.

“Unfinished journalistic investigations deserve attention. Professional activities of journalist outside Ukraine is also considered. Journalist’s publications and releases of his programs had a critical character of the current government in the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation”, – said Vakulenko.

“Critical remarks and expressing his position towards expansion of the Russian Federation in Cechnya, Georgia and Ukraine are also considered as a version of journalist’s professional activities outside of Ukraine”, – he added.

Also, according to him, the version of “destabilization of situation in the state, due to the audacity and ostentatious murder of journalist” is also considered.

Police also reported on the amount of conducted investigative actions.

According to Vakulenko, 1800 people were interviewed, of which more than 300 are direct witnesses of explosion, residents of homes in the area of explosion.

“224 taxi drivers and their passengers, who were driving near the site of explosion at a specified time, were identified and questioned. The owners of 48 cars, parked near the crime scene, were identified. 60 people of personal and professional, journalists and colleagues, contacts of the victim were questioned”, – said Vakulenko.

“Investigators conducted an analytical review of about 280 publications, themes, broadcasts and comments of the broadcasts. Sheremet’s handwritten journalistic drafts, since 2007, were processed”, – he said.

Vakulenko also recalled that investigation seized about 150 terabytes of data from surveillance cameras. Investigation continues to study them.

According to him, 16 examinations were appointed during the investigation and 9 of them have been completed.

The Deputy Chairman of the National Police also stated that the explosive device, which was planted in the car, was crudely manufactured using elements of directional anti-personnel mine MON-50 and electric detonator of EDI type. Mine was attached by at least two magnets on the bottom of the car under driver’s seat.

However, according to Vakulenko, there are still no defined suspects in the murder of Pavlo Sheremet.

Police has not specified the number of individuals suspected of committing the murder of Sheremet.

“Persons who are reasonably suspected and might be involved… We have an understanding of the employers and perpetrators, accomplices, but it is not a subject we can announce today”, – said Vakulenko.

As a reminder, on July 20, well-known journalist Pavlo Sheremet was killed as a result of car explosion in Kyiv. Car belonged to Olena Prytula, owner of the Ukrayinska Pravda (Ukrainian Truth) online newspaper, she was not in a car at the time.

In November, Anton Gerashchenko, a People’s Deputy and Advisor to Minister of Foreign Affairs, stated that investigators are considering the version, which does related to his professional activities, as the main version.

Earlier, Sevgil Musayeva-Borovyk, the Chief Editor of Ukrayinska Pravda online newspaper, stated that conversations of editorial staff, in particular, journalist Pavlo Sheremet, who was killed in the summer of 2016, were electronically surveilled.