Никита Шатилин. Скриншот видео
Nikita Shatilin, a deputy of the Irpin City Council and the son of Belarusian democratic forces representative in Ukraine Sviatlana Shatilina, has announced that he has been released following his detention.
Reports of Shatilin’s detention by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) emerged earlier today. Ukrainian social media channels linked him to an operation targeting draft-evasion schemes in several regions of the country.
In a video recorded after his release, Shatilin confirmed that he had been detained on May 26.
“I am prohibited by law from commenting on the substance of the case under Article 387 of the Criminal Code. I would like to note that I will resume my duties on Monday,” Shatilin said. Article 387 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code establishes liability for disclosing information from a pre-trial investigation.
Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko announced the exposure of a scheme for evading military mobilization and smuggling people abroad. Among those detained was a deputy of the Irpin City Council, although his name was not disclosed.
According to Kravchenko, the scheme involved 10 people. They organized transportation across the country, arranged covert routes, rented apartments and hotels, and used radios, thermal imaging devices, and drones. People were transported to Romania outside official border crossing points.
The clients included both men liable for military service and active servicemen. The group was able to move at least 10 people per month. Since December 2025, nearly 60 people had allegedly been smuggled abroad through the scheme. The group’s profit is estimated at more than $700,000.
“Among the participants in the scheme were a deputy of the Irpin City Council and a police officer from Chernivtsi Region. According to the investigation, the deputy transported men and used his status to minimize risks during inspections. The police officer coordinated movement through checkpoints,” the Prosecutor General stated.
During the operation, investigators carried out 27 searches in Chernivtsi Region and Kyiv. They seized UAVs, a GPS tracker, thermal imagers, surveillance cameras, 58 mobile phones, nine radios, computer equipment, handwritten notes, gear, weapons, and cash in various currencies worth more than 2.5 million hryvnias.
According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, all participants in the scheme have been detained. They have been formally notified of suspicion on charges of illegally facilitating the crossing of Ukraine’s state border and obstructing the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during a special period.