Ex-intelligence officer Chervinsky: "Institution of our state is totally destroyed"

He spoke about this on Espreso TV.

“You are an officer, doing your job and ready to give your life, and then you are brazenly and cynically detained. At first, I did not believe this was possible. I presented evidence in court, proving that what was written was not true, but the judge ignored it and continued the hearing. After 30 years in law enforcement, I have never encountered anything like this before. I never imagined that such things could happen. I realized that our state and its institutions are in complete disarray. With such courts, discussing the rule of law is meaningless. For 30 years, I lived by the ideals of justice, only to discover that I now live in a different country,” said Roman Chervinsky.

According to him, the only hope during the litigation was public support. The only remaining power was the power of the people, the power of openness, and the power of the media.

“This force is irresistible, no matter how much they deceive, spin the narrative, or how judges recuse themselves. Regardless of how they present themselves as judges, everything is gradually moving towards justice and truth. It will come. The faster we advance, the more our nation will realize that this lie is not just selective; it is pervasive. The government employs false messages, events, and activities, waging a propaganda media war against its own people and justice. This is done to maintain power for its own interests on all fronts,” the former intelligence officer emphasized.

The SBU colonel added that he was surprised to find that, after 30 years of service, there are now officers and generals willing to drastically change their testimonies. One day, a general might claim an operation took place, and the next day, say it was banned a month before it occurred.

“I know that such people will never protect Ukraine. At a critical moment, they will not act as we did in February 2022. That is why the support of the Espreso TV channel is crucial; it shows the need to support those who are willing to sacrifice themselves, not those who, for the sake of their own positions and careers, undermine those on the frontline. Your support gives hope to those fighting and shows that we are not fighting for personal interests but for the future of our children, who deserve to live in a different country than the one we have now, which has been tainted by the consequences of Russian policies,” Chervinsky concluded.

Roman Chervinsky's case

Roman Chervinsky is an officer of the Special Operations Forces and a former employee of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine. According to the case, Chervinsky and other individuals allegedly decided to conduct a special operation to seize a Russian Aerospace Forces aircraft. The Russian pilot was reportedly willing to defect to Ukraine. Instead, in the summer of 2022, Russia shelled the Kanatove airfield in the Kirovohrad region. The missile strike killed a military unit commander and injured 17 soldiers. Additionally, two Ukrainian Air Force combat fighters were completely destroyed, and the runway, equipment, and buildings sustained significant damage.

Roman Chervinsky was detained, and on April 25, 2023, he was placed under preventive detention for 60 days without the possibility of bail. The SBU insists that it opposed the operation, claiming it was carried out against the wishes of the intelligence service and without the consent of relevant state authorities. In contrast, Chervinsky asserts that the operation was authorized by the then-head of the SBU, Ivan Bakanov, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi.

On July 15, following a 7-hour hearing, the court agreed to release Chervinsky on bail of UAH 9 million. On July 17, after the charitable foundation of Petro Poroshenko, leader of the European Solidarity party, posted the bail, Chervinsky was released from pre-trial detention.