One of the Telegram chats coordinating protests against the resignation of ex-Minister of Defense Mykhailo Fedorov has disappeared from the network. This happened immediately after law enforcement officers detained the community administrator on suspicion of unauthorized absence from a military unit.
Vitaliy Kamka/Pavuk at a protest against Fedorov’s resignation / © Threads
After the detention of Vitaliy Kamka, one of the Telegram chats that coordinated protests against the resignation of ex-Minister of Defense Mykhailo Fedorov vanished. The detainee himself claims that investigators gained access to his smartphone and from his account posted a “farewell message” in the chat, admitting mistakes and stating his intention to join the army.
This is reported by the Center for Human Rights ZMINA.
Disappearance of the Coordination Chat
One of the protest organizers, Arkadiy Petrosyan, announced the deletion of the community during a rally on Ivan Franko Square. Subsequently, information appeared on social media about the direct detention of the administrator of this channel, who used the pseudonym Vitaliy Pavuk.
According to protest participant Serhiy Motrenko, the mentioned chat had about 770 members who regularly joined street actions. On the evening of August 7, a message unexpectedly appeared in the group from the administrator: “The night was sleepless. It was time to reflect. We are acting wrongly. I have made my decision. I will serve the state in the Armed Forces of Ukraine!”.
Following this publication, which concluded with the calls “Let’s hold the line! Ukraine above all!”, the Telegram chat was completely removed from the network. However, Vitaliy Kamka later stated to his contacts that he had not published any such messages and had not deleted the channel.
Statements about Investigators’ Actions
The detainee claims that after his arrest, an investigator gained physical access to his account, independently wrote the final message, and deleted the coordination platform. Serhiy Motrenko also confirmed to human rights defenders that the style of this post seemed atypical for Kamka, although he cannot know all the circumstances of its writing.
It is known that the man was stopped by police officers while riding a motorcycle for a data check, during which his status as being AWOL (unauthorized absence from a military unit) was established. Following this, the detainee was taken in handcuffs to the Military Law Enforcement department in Bila Tserkva.
Conditions of Detention and MIE Position
According to Kamka, in the premises of the Bila Tserkva zonal department of the MIE, he was handcuffed to a bed, and he later published relevant video footage of the handcuffs on his social media. Subsequently, the man reported being transferred to a military unit in Cherkasy for further service.
In conversation with his contacts, he noted that the overall treatment towards him was adequate and law enforcement officers did not use any physical violence. However, the detainee emphasized that during the initial stages of escort and custody, he was kept in handcuffs for a long time.
Human rights defenders have not yet been able to objectively determine how long this restriction lasted and what the official grounds for its application were. According to current legislation, MIE servicemen have the right to use handcuffs in cases of resistance, attempted escape, or risk of harm, so the reasons for such actions remain key for a legal assessment of the episode.
Representatives of ZMINA attempted to obtain an official comment from the Military Law Enforcement Service regarding these statements, but were unable to reach the agency at the time of publication. The publication emphasizes that it is ready to supplement the materials with the MIE’s position immediately after receiving it officially.
We remind you that former Minister of Defense Mykhailo Fedorov stated that he would not move into opposition to President Volodymyr Zelensky during the war and warned that he would not take to the streets to meet the protesters who were rallying in his support.
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