Thefts, sexual harassment, suicide missions, arms trafficking… The information site Kiyv Independent reveals in an in-depth investigation the abuses committed by three men in command of a unit of the Ukrainian foreign legion – abuses denounced by legionnaires, some of whom left the unit. One of the commanders implicated is a former Polish mafioso wanted in his country
The shocking revelations of Kyiv Independent are well substantiated: before entrusting the affair to the press, at least a dozen legionnaires or ex-legionnaires had alerted their superiors on several occasions, without response. Written reports, interviews and videos detail cases of looting of stores, inconsistent military missions, extortion of money, sexual harassment of medical personnel, suspicions of trafficking in military equipment.
Three men at the head of this Legion unit are implicated. One of them, Sasha Kuchynsky, whose real name is Piotr Kapuscinski, was part of the Pruszkow gang, one of the most powerful organized crime groups in Poland.
This unit placed under the direction of the intelligence services was created at the time of the invasion, in a somewhat improvised manner and without the necessary safeguards, analyzes a French military expert who believes that kyiv cannot afford to tolerate behavior deviants or abuses in the ranks of its fighters, in particular by virtue of the massive Western support from which Ukraine benefits.
An investigation is underway and the Presidency of the Republic has been seized by the soldiers who denounce these abuses, but without result for the moment, explains Kyiv Independent. Last month, Volodymyr Zelensky sacked intelligence chief Ivan Bakanovalso a childhood friend of the president, against a backdrop of betrayals in the ranks of the agency.