Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigation searched the flat of a renowned pilot killed in a plane crash in 2023 in connection with a case of a top anti-corruption activist, Suspilne broadcaster reported on July 16, citing the pilot's mother.
Lilia Averianova, the mother of late MiG-29 pilot Andrii "Juice" Pilshchykov, told Suspilne that investigators came to the Kharkiv apartment on July 11 and demanded entry, threatening to break down the door.
"They (investigators) just called me and told me, 'we will break down your door, because we are looking for a criminal here,' they told me to come," said Averianova, who was in Kyiv during the call.
Pilshchykov, a decorated pilot with the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade and a vocal advocate for Ukraine's acquisition of F-16 fighter jets, was killed on Aug. 25, 2023, during a collision of two L-39 trainer jets. He was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine.
The search was connected with the bureau's investigation into Vitaliy Shabunin, one of Ukraine's most prominent anti-corruption activists, who had been staying in the apartment for some time, Suspilne wrote.
Shabunin, co-founder of the Anti-Corruption Action Centre (AntAC) NGO, has been charged with evading military service and fraud, an accusation his team rejected as "absurd" and "vendetta" in comments for the Kyiv Independent.
The activist currently serves in the Armed Forces, and his unit is stationed in eastern Kharkiv Oblast.
Averianova said that friends who came to Kharkiv often stayed in the flat, explaining it was beneficial for somebody whom she trusts to look after the apartment amid Russian attacks and other emergency situations. Shabunin was among them.
Juice's mother said the investigators did not break down the door because a neighbor unlocked the flat for them. She added that she asked the officers not to touch her son's things.
"They drove me to a state of stress. Now I’ve been hospitalized for inpatient treatment," Averianova told Suspilne.
"Many thanks for such 'honor' and 'care' from those who were supposed to protect me, not barge into my home. Andrii protected this home — he protected millions of homes and gave his life for it."
The bureau has not publicly commented on the search and told Suspilne they are clarifying the information.
Shabunin's case received broad attention due to the activist and his organization's role in investigating corruption in the government, including in the highest circles of the Presidential Office.
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