On March 17, 2025, the Pechersky District Court of Kyiv considered the prosecutor’s motion to extend the pretrial detention of Colonel Valery Khrbet, head of the Central Directorate for Ground-Based Weapons Systems of the Logistics Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Prosecution’s Position: The prosecutor insisted on extending the detention for another 60 days, with the option of setting bail at 50 million hryvnias.
The defense’s position: We are convinced that there are no grounds for pretrial detention and that the suspicion itself is unfounded.
Why should Mr. Khrbet not be held in custody?
Unfounded suspicion—the prosecution has not provided evidence confirming our client’s involvement in the abuses. All allegations are based on assumptions and speculation.
No risk of flight—the prosecutor has not proven that V.A. Khrbet could abscond from the investigation or trial, influence witnesses, or destroy evidence.
Unfounded suspicion—the prosecutor has failed to confirm that our client actually held the duties that he allegedly exceeded.
Health condition—there are no grounds for pretrial detention.
The argument regarding the risk of flight seems particularly absurd: the prosecution claims that over 18 years of service, V.A. Khrbet earned 5.5 million UAH and allegedly saved up funds to flee. But where is the logic? Over the years, he had to support his family, and now he’s been ordered to post bail of 50 million UAH—10 times his total income!
Court ruling: The investigating judge partially granted the motion but reduced the bail amount to 15 million hryvnias.
In two months, we reduced the bail from 83 million to 15 million hryvnias. The trend is positive, but we’re not stopping there. This decision will be appealed!
Colonel Valerii Khrbet is innocent and should not be in custody at all. We will prove this in court.
The defense is represented by: Yuriy Radzievsky, partner at Barristers Law Firm, and Vitaliy Chayun, senior attorney at Barristers Law Firm
Author: Barristers
Source: Barristers Facebook