Source: Internal investigation launched against Chernivtsi police deputy chief

Kishlar surrounded by OCU militants during the cathedral seizure in Chernivtsi. Photo: UOJ

During the June 17 seizure of the UOC cathedral in Chernivtsi, Kishlar reportedly allowed physical violence against believers to take place unchecked.

According to sources, Kishlar has been relocated to Kharkiv as part of a procedural measure to remove him from the region where he might influence the course of the investigation.

Earlier, the UOC cathedral community in Chernivtsi submitted an official complaint to the Territorial Office of the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) in Khmelnytskyi, demanding criminal proceedings against Kishlar and other law enforcement officers. A copy of the complaint was obtained by UOJ.

The complaint, submitted under Article 214 of Ukraine’s Criminal Procedure Code, classifies the police actions as abuse of authority or power (Part 2, Article 365 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

According to the complainants, high-ranking police officers not only witnessed the use of force against believers but effectively enabled it by failing to intervene.

Among those injured and requiring medical assistance were: Valentyna Volodymyrivna Storenko, Fr. Roman Mykhailovych Forosta (UOC priest), Vitaliy Anatoliyovych Honchariuk, Karp Kostiantynovych Domtrashchuk, Heorhiy Dmytrovych Popovych, Dmytro Vasylovych Lakusta, and others. The statement highlights the brutal beating of Fr. Roman Forosta by unidentified individuals.

The cathedral community asserts that the actions of law enforcement grossly violated their constitutional rights and demands the immediate entry of the case into the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations, the opening of full criminal proceedings, and regular updates on the investigation.

Photo and video evidence is attached to the complaint, and the plaintiffs note their readiness to provide additional eyewitness testimonies.

Under Ukrainian law, the SBI is required to register such complaints within 24 hours. Refusal to register is not permitted.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that Kishlar, along with OCU representatives, was among the first to enter the territory of the UOC church in the village of Verkhni Stanivtsi during its seizure.

Kishlar also oversaw police during the seizure of the UOC church in Zadubrivka and, during the 2022 seizure of the UOC church in Mykhalcha, personally committed acts of violence against parishioners.

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