The charges against the border guard Serhiy Kolmohorov arose because the current authorities failed to fulfill their constitutional duty and did not secure the legal status of patriots who defend Ukraine from the aggressor. This was stated by the Head of Kyiv city organization of UKROP, Chairman of the Board of “Maidan of Foreign Affairs” Fund Bohdan Yaremenko. Together with other UKROP representatives, he came to support the soldier at the court hearing on cassation.
“The legal conflict in case of the soldier Kolmohorov arose only because the Ukrainian authorities did not fulfill their legal and political obligations within the framework of the Constitution and other laws,” said Bohdan Yaremenko.
According to the expert, in any civilized country of the world, immediately after the beginning of military aggression, a martial law had to be declared. Then such situations would not arise at all, because the use of weapons in the area of conflict would be quite legitimate and understandable.
The representative of UKROP has noted that citizens performing their duty and defending the country need legal protection, despite the fact that the Ukrainian authorities can not officially recognize the events in the east as a war.
“Today, it seems that neither the prosecutor nor the court sees the war in Ukraine or other extraordinary circumstances. To agree with such an interpretation of events is wrong from the point of view of law and it is unpatriotic,” emphasized Bohdan Yaremenko.
In his turn, a veteran of the antiterrorist operation, representative of UKROP Yevhen Terekhov has noted that soldier Serhiy Kolmohorov obeyed the order of the command, and thus cannot be responsible for the crimes committed under conditions of war.
“At the moment of the incident armed hostilities in eastern Ukraine have been lasting for several months. Therefore, everyone knew that it was necessary to stop at checkpoints for inspection. A person who neglected this, paid with the life,” said Yevhen Terekhov.
As it is known, Serhiy Kolmohorov was sentenced to 13 years in prison on charges about excess of powers. In the autumn of 2014, a civilian woman died as a result of the use of weapons by the border guard.
The incident occurred during Serhiy Kolmohorov’s executing order to stop the offender in the thirty-kilometer zone from the line of demarcation.
