The court has arrested Irpin's mayor, Oleksandr Markushyn, in connection with a case regarding illegal travel abroad.

On Friday, January 24, the Pechersk Court of Kyiv arrested the mayor of Irpin, Oleksandr Markushin, in a case concerning his departure abroad. The mayor is suspected of allegedly leaving Ukraine not to procure military equipment but to visit his minor son, reported "Suspilne".

The judges placed the official in custody until March 22, 2025, with the possibility of bail set at 30 million UAH. Markushin himself described the case against him as "ordered and politicized".

According to the investigation, from August 24 to 30, 2022, Oleksandr Markushin was in Italy allegedly not to assist Ukrainian servicemen, but to see his two-year-old son Mark. Markushin denies the allegations and stated that he obtained permission to leave and brought military aid – two Mavic drones, while also stopping by to celebrate his child's birthday.

“I left the country for a few days with the permission of KOVA, returned, brought two drones, and saw my son. The regional police investigated this case for two months and found nothing, while the SBI 'fabricated' the suspicion in two days. I believe the case against me is politicized and ordered by my opponents,” Markushin stated.

The official mentioned that he is the sole guardian of the child, as his wife passed away a month after giving birth, so he has the right to travel to see him without any additional permits. Markushin noted that he had not seen the boy for six months since he was taken abroad after the onset of the full-scale war and the partial occupation of Kyiv region.

According to Markushin, he also invited Irpin City Council deputies Oleksandr Pashchynskyi and Volodymyr Karpliuk to his son's birthday. In the mayor's opinion, it was Karpliuk who "ordered this criminal case." At the same time, Karpliuk has not publicly responded to this statement.

Meanwhile, the prosecution stated that Markushin did not provide any documents confirming his volunteer activities abroad. The prosecutor's office requested the court to impose a preventive measure of 60 days in custody or a bail of 40 million UAH – the court partially granted this request.

Markushin's lawyer believes that the suspicion against the official is currently unfounded. They plan to appeal the court's decision, and the defense has taken Markushin under their protection.