SBU: Russian intelligence officer involved in murder of Horlivka City Council deputy

KYIV, April 23 /Ukrinform/. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has established the involvement of a Russian citizen, Lieutenant Colonel of the Russian Main Intelligence Department Igor Bezler, in the murder of Horlivka City Council deputy Volodymyr Rybak (Batkivshchyna Party).

SBU spokeswoman Kateryna Kosareva told this to journalists at a briefing at the Anti-Terrorist Center on Wednesday.

"SBU established the involvement in the murder of Horlivka City Council deputy Volodymyr Rybak of the so-called Strelok group, which is operating in Donetsk region, and a Russian citizen, Lieutenant Colonel of the Main Intelligence Department Igor Bezler, call sign 'Bes,'" Kosareva said.

According to SBU, it was established that on April 17, Bezler ordered the chief of the self-proclaimed Horlivka police, to neutralize Rybak, who had previously tried to put up a national flag of Ukraine on the building of the district state administration.

Then, on the instruction of Strelok (Igor Strelkov, a Russian national, a riot police officer of the Main Intelligence Department of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces), Rybak was taken to the headquarters of the separatists in Sloviansk, where Strelkov had to personally talk to him. It was also established that on April 20, he gave instructions to self-proclaimed mayor of Sloviansk Ponomariov to remove from the headquarters the body of the murdered Rybak, which he performed.

As reported, SBU placed Bezler and Strelkov on the wanted list on April 17.

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