Ukrainian policemen shot by soldiers while smuggling weapons

Active members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine shot 20-year-old Maksym Zaretski. The crime took place in the Vinnytsia region. Another policeman, Maksym Szarpanski, was also injured. The military vehicle was stopped for a check because it moved during curfew hours. It turned out that the military personnel attempted to smuggle weapons.

The men were detained on Sunday late afternoon in the Odesa region.

The Chief of the National Police of Ukraine, Ivan Vyshyvskyi, reported that the perpetrators are a father and son. Both are active soldiers of the 28th separate mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, based in the Odesa region.

"The suspects were hiding in the Odesa region. They were detained by officers of the special unit KORD (Corps for Operational Rapid Action). The attackers are two military personnel, a father and son aged 52 and 26, residents of the Vinnytsia region," said Vyshyvskyi.

As reported by the National Police of Ukraine, officers patrolling the region during curfew hours stopped a car with two men inside for a check.

A police officer's personal camera recorded the whole incident. The 5-minute recording shows and hears initially a rather casual conversation between the policemen and the military. The men joke and laugh. The policeman checks the documents and then asks to open the car's trunk. A few seconds later, the military hits the policeman and fires several shots in his direction.

The policeman falls to the ground in a pool of blood. The attackers flee. His colleague was also attacked by the military - with gunshot wounds he was taken to the hospital. His condition is stable.

The spokesperson for the National Police, Olena Berezhna, conveyed that the attackers "were hiding in an abandoned building and intended to leave the country." She added that the reason for the attack by the military could have been the fact that the policeman during the vehicle check "found a large quantity of grenades in the trunk."

When the search for the perpetrators began, recordings from gas station surveillance cameras were published online. They showed that the attackers were dressed in green-olive clothes, often worn by Ukrainian military personnel. The car they were driving was also painted olive. A BBC source in the police confirmed their authenticity. The crime—committed by military personnel—shook Ukraine.

The Minister of Internal Affairs reacted. "It does not matter who and in what clothing. In what condition and for what reason. There can be and must be no justification for this crime," said Ihor Klymenko.

The General Prosecutor's Office reported that an investigation is being conducted against the two soldiers. They face life imprisonment.