A few days ago, several Ukrainian online platforms and Telegram channels exploded with sensational headlines claiming that a female Kyrgyz citizen, one of the alleged accomplices in the “combat organization” of Ukrainian scholar Oleg Maltsev, had confessed and received a verdict. For the involvement in an illegal paramilitary group, she was sentenced to... a fine.

We contacted Yevgeniya Tarasenko, the attorney representing Oleg Maltsev, for her perspective.

J: Yevgeniya, could you clarify whether the reported information about the first verdict is accurate?

YT: Yes, that’s correct. On December 20, 2024, the Prymorskyi District Court in Odesa convicted this individual. She confessed to participating in an illegal paramilitary group and gave testimony. The court did not examine the evidence in the case, limiting itself to her interrogation (a right granted to the court under current criminal procedure law). This case involves materials separated from the main investigation conducted by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in the Odesa region.

I want to emphasize that, in my capacity as an attorney, I do not view this admission of guilt as voluntary, a fact I clearly expressed during the trial.

The fact is that the mental health of the Kyrgyz citizen raises significant concerns. My colleagues and I have repeatedly brought this up during court hearings (and I can now speak openly about it, as it is no longer a matter of pre-trial investigation secrecy). Furthermore, I filed a motion requesting a forensic psychiatric evaluation of this individual, but it was denied.

In her interrogation on July 16, 2024, when asked by the investigator why she stopped working with Oleg Maltsev, the Kyrgyz citizen stated the following (translated quote):

“I ended my collaboration with Oleg Viktorovich Maltsev because I had a vivid dream in which my father, from the planet Tinia, the Tin Mountain made of pure crystal and gold, told me to urgently find him, fulfill my potential, and embrace the ultimate truth.”

As a lawyer, I am firmly convinced that every person has the right to believe in anything, even in cosmic cockroaches. However, when a person makes such statements during an interrogation under protocol, it indicates that they don't just believe in something, but live in that reality. From my perspective, this is a matter for psychiatrists. The most alarming part is that her testimony forms the basis of charges not only against Oleg Maltsev but also against seven other individuals, who are also being held in custody at the Odesa pretrial detention center.

Let’s imagine a situation where such a "witness" gives testimony against the prosecutor or the investigator in this case. Do you think the court would place them in custody without the possibility of bail? I highly doubt it. Yet, in our case, for some reason, this "witness" is acceptable to both the prosecution and the court.

Furthermore, it’s no secret that this citizen of Kyrgyzstan had a personal interest in my client and has a motive to falsely accuse him, which, by the way, she does not even hide.

What can I say, it’s strange that a citizen of Kyrgyzstan, who is illegally staying in Ukraine, was fined for allegedly participating in an illegal paramilitary group, while no preventive measure was even taken against her. Meanwhile, eight people accused of the same thing, based on her testimony, have been held in custody for more than four months in the Odesa pretrial detention center without the possibility of bail.

If this is truly an "illegal paramilitary group," as it’s being portrayed across all online and Telegram channels, why are Ukrainian and German citizens being held in the Odesa pretrial detention center, with the court refusing to allow bail, while the citizen of Kyrgyzstan is walking free and merely receives a fine?

After all, the prosecutor refers to the so-called "risks" in every court session, claiming that everyone must remain in custody because they may "continue their criminal activity." But can’t the Kyrgyz citizen from the "planet Tinia" continue her "criminal activity"?

The message is clear –  if you agree to falsely accuse Maltsev, you’re considered harmless, you get released and fined. If you refuse, you’ll rot in jail.

Q: Ukrainian media also reported that in 2013, there was a criminal case in Crimea involving Maltsev. It concerned fraud at the company "Russian Business Style," founded by Elena Shainer, the vice president of millionaire mentor Robert Fletcher. How is Maltsev connected to this? They claim that she was an accomplice of Maltsev. What can you tell us about this?

YT: Yes, there was a criminal case. However, in this case, Shainer was not an accomplice of Maltsev, but rather the complainant against him and was recognized as the victim in the case. What actually happened: she organized the company "Russian Business Style," and invited Maltsev as one of the lecturers on strategic consulting. At some point, Shainer shut down the company and failed to fulfill her obligations to people. When law enforcement came to her, she found “convincing reasons”– she bribed them with $1,000–to shift the blame onto Maltsev.

The case was heard in the Lenin District Court of Sevastopol, and I won’t hide that the entire courtroom showed up to watch the hearings—just to laugh. It really was a circus: the prosecution’s witnesses who came to testify against Maltsev didn’t even know what he looked like; the so-called victims brought in receipts for payments made to Shainer’s company, which had no connection to Maltsev. By the way, Shainer herself and her dear female friend, who was also recognized as a victim, had to be brought to court by the police because they refused to come voluntarily, and the defense had to ask the court to have them escorted by guards.

By the way, we still have video recordings of the trial in our archives. I think one day we’ll make a film about it, and it will definitely be a comedy. However, it should be noted that this case turned out to be no comedy for those who organized and falsified it. Shainer, who called Maltsev a fraudster, was soon placed on the nationwide wanted list for a major fraud case. The investigator in the case was dismissed after a suspect mysteriously jumped out of his office window. The prosecutor was arrested for bribery, and other "forgers" also lost their positions. A real mystery, isn’t it?

In the end, everyone got tired of this "humor," and the new prosecutor, in order to prevent the court from issuing an acquittal, had to request that the case be sent for further investigation, where it was eventually closed.

Q: They say that the State Bureau of Investigations has also opened a criminal case against Maltsev. Is this true?

YT: Not exactly. In the past year, Maltsev was linked to several criminal cases—at the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI), the National Police, and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). The SBI and National Police weren’t successful, but the SBU managed to make it work. As I’ve mentioned before, the criminal case against Maltsev is a setup. Law enforcement spent over a year searching for something, anything, to support their fantasies. They found a witness "from another planet" and a video, from which phrases were extracted out of context, laying the foundation for the suspicion, all presented in a manner that could easily be mistaken for a Strugatsky brothers’ novel.

Currently, 8 people are being held in custody. And, to be honest, they are essentially being "marinated" in the detention center to force them to give false testimony against Maltsev. By the way, threats were also made to witnesses in the case who refused to testify against Maltsev. It’s important to note that these actions are carried out by specific individuals, and they don’t involve all SBU staff. 

Additionally, the investigator in the case threatened me as well, and it even escalated to the point where he physically pushed me in the courtroom after the hearing. I have already filed a formal complaint regarding the violation of my rights with the Committee for the Protection of Lawyers' Rights.

So, what are we looking at here, if not a setup? And the most appalling thing is that this is all happening during a time of war, with enormous resources at play—dozens, if not hundreds, of people involved. With the war going on in Ukraine, the security agencies are stretched thin, and I suspect they may have been misled. Plus, the lack of understanding of scientific processes could have contributed. It’s possible that someone took advantage of the situation in the country, using law enforcement to serve their personal interests. And for what purpose? To dismantle the scientific academy and Maltsev. Who did he get in the way of? Clearly, someone doesn’t want him around, but I hope we’ll soon find out who.

Q: What do you mean by that?

YT: I reached out to my colleagues in the United States. They recommended a detective agency to take on this issue. These individuals are not only detectives but also journalists, so they have the full right to conduct journalistic investigations worldwide, including in Ukraine. I’m looking forward to their swift arrival.

Q: Here’s another question. The same Ukrainian media are reporting that in 2014-2015, Maltsev organized a "hunt" against journalists from Channel 7 who were investigating his activities. What can you say about that?

YT: I’m providing you with a link to a video where a journalist from Channel 7, who conducted this so-called "investigation," is dancing on the roof of our law firm. She showed up there on a Saturday evening, apparently in an intoxicated state.

It's unlikely that this can be called a "hunt" for journalists; it's more of a free circus show. If you're interested in all the details of this "media war," you can explore everything on the YouTube channel of the "Unsolved Crimes" newspaper. There, you’ll find, among other things, a video showing these journalists smashing the windows of Maltsev’s car right in the parking lot of our law firm. So, is this a hunt for journalists or for Maltsev?

Q: What you’re saying is really surprising. Where’s all this pressure coming from?

YT: I can only guess. During that time, Maltsev was the first to state that the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine (Moscow Patriarchate) was essentially an FSB agent on our territory and had no real connection to religious activities. That’s when it all started: media smear campaigns, car windows being smashed, absurd allegations against Maltsev in all law enforcement agencies, even writing to the head of the regional state administration, and organizing a "procession" against him. Additionally, Oleg Maltsev, as a scholar, and Costantino Slobodyanyuk, as a journalist, prevented the so-called Russian anti-cult movement from gaining ground in Ukraine. Perhaps that's why they’re locked up now. Time will tell.

This article is an exact translation of the article from the "Expedition" journal.