SBI opened criminal case over video recorded by journalist Butusov
State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) has launched crimininal proceedings over the video shot by the editor-in-chief of Censor.net Yuriy Butusov. Investigators consider a video posted on November 27 by Yuriy Butusov on his Facebook page, showing him firing a howitzer, as this was reported on November 28 on the SBI website.
In the video, the journalist fires a 152-mm D-20 howitzer with the words: "Fire on the occupiers!"
Yuriy Butusov later added that the video was shot a long time ago and during a training.
According to the SBI, the publication of such materials causes prejudice to Ukraine's information security and allows the aggressor country to increase pressure on.
“All the circumstances of the publication and recording of the video of the cannon shot, which was posted by Yuriy Butusov, will be checked. Including in accordance with Article 414 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine ("Violation of the rules of handling weapons, as well as substances and objects that pose an increased danger to the surroundings") and Article 437 of the Criminal Code ("Planning, preparation, unleashing and conduct of offensive war" ). The invesigators are to probe in eventual violations by those persons who allowed a civilian to take up arms, ” the SBI said.
According to preliminary findings, the incident took place outside the Joint Forces Opreration zone.
For his part, Yuri Butusov found that in this way, the President Volodymyr Zelensky took revenge on him "for his shameful press conference."
“And now they have found a reason - a shot from a cannon, which was once made, called it "a trigger for escalation", although I wrote that it was a long time ago. And now I am being prosecuted for starting an invasive war! ” - he wrote on November 28 on Facebook.
"Let me remind you, all this because I asked the question: Isn’t Zelensky ashamed to keep about himself a Russian agent Demchenko, is he? And everyone heard from the President that Russian agent Ruslan Demchenko was a useful head of the intelligence committee, despite the fact that he headed all Ukrainian intelligence services, contrary to the law on lustration and he was a co-author of the Kharkiv agreements on the surrender of Crimea. And the President defends Demchenko, Tatarov, Yermak, " as Yuriy Butusov wrote.
In addition, the SBI issued a second statement drawing the attention of journalists and public opinion leaders that criminal proceedings were initiated not against journalist Yuriy Butusov, but on the fact mentioned in his publication.
The SBI noted that no suspicion note has been pressed against anybody yet.
“In particular, the subject of the investigation is to verify facts: who and under what conditions allowed a civilian to take up arms. We emphasize once again that there is no "case" against Yuriy Butusov in the SBI proceedings - and we ask that the SBI not be involved in political accusations. The SBI deals exclusively with the crimes of officials, and it is the possible signs of such a crime that have become the subject of our proceedings, ”the statement reads.
As IMI reported, on November 26, the President Volodymyr Zelensky accused the editor-in-chief of Censor.net of deaths in Donbas due to publication of a video of a Bayraktar drone. Yuriy Butusov replied to the head of state, saying he lied.
After the press marathon, Yuriy Butusov said he would sue the President Volodymyr Zelensky for slander.
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