The murderers of activist Myroshnychenko joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine, one of them deserting.

Information about the murderers of pro-Ukrainian activist Artem Myroshnychenko joining the Armed Forces of Ukraine has become known. One of them even deserted from the military unit.

Conditional Early Release

The Poltava District Court and the Pervomaisk City District Court of Kharkiv region decided to conditionally release the convicted Mykola Barabash and Oleksandr Baryshok from serving their sentences so they could serve in the Armed Forces under contract. They had already served sentences for attacking activist Artem Myroshnychenko, who later died from his injuries. This was reported by Zmina publication.

The Sloviansk City District Court of Donetsk region also noted that the accused had previously been convicted of committing criminal offenses for which they were sentenced. Barabash received 8 years in prison, while Baryshok got 9 years. The Time spent in a pre-trial detention center was counted towards the total prison term.

Desertion from the Military Unit

Artem Myroshnychenko's brother, Serhiy Myroshnychenko, reported that Oleksandr Baryshok voluntarily left the military unit after he was allowed to serve in the Armed Forces. He was granted conditional early release from serving his sentence for murder. The activist's brother published a document proving that Baryshok deserted his place of service.

Serhiy Myroshnychenko also condemned Baryshok's actions and expressed concern that his brother's murderers are at large and have even joined the Armed Forces. He states that this is not a sincere motivation to defend Ukraine, but merely an excuse to avoid prison.

Information on the Case

In early 2025, the court sentenced Oleksandr Baryshok and Mykola Barabash to 8 and 9 years of imprisonment respectively for the attack on Artem Myroshnychenko. The attack occurred in 2019, after which the activist sustained serious injuries and died. However, the accused missed the deadline for filing an appeal within a month after the verdict was issued.

Artem Myroshnychenko's brother noted that he was an active participant in volunteer initiatives and had been helping the Ukrainian military at the front since 2014. He expressed condolences to his comrades and doubts the sincerity of the murderers' desire to defend Ukraine.