Photo: suspilne.media
A court in Ukraine's Kyiv region has ordered former commander of the 155th Separate Mechanized Brigade "Anne of Kyiv," Stanislav Luchanov, to remain in custody for 60 days without bail over his alleged role in the abduction and murder of two brothers from the village of Kalynivka.
At the start of the hearing, Luchanov said he does not admit guilt and disagrees with the charges brought against him.
According to prosecutors, Luchanov allegedly ordered nine subordinate servicemen to abduct brothers Roman and Maksym Mosiichuk, who were taken from their home in late June and held at a military unit until July 1.
Investigators allege that Luchanov later instructed a battalion commander to kill the brothers in an attempt to conceal the kidnapping. Prosecutors say both victims were taken separately to a military training ground near Poltava, where they were shot and buried in a pre-dug grave.
The prosecution also told the court that Luchanov left his military unit without authorization and changed his phone number after details of the case became public.
Luchanov told the court he is willing to cooperate with investigators, while his lawyer argued that the case file contains no direct evidence linking his client to the murders and claimed that another individual had issued the alleged order to kill the victims.
