Man who opened fire in Dnipro pleads guilty; court orders detention without bail

Five injured servicemen are in serious condition but showing positive dynamics.

Serviceman of the National Guard Artemy Riabchuk, who opened fire at the Pivdenmash plant in Dnipro on January 27, killing five people and wounding five more, apologized in court and admitted to what he had done.

Artemy Riabchuk
National Guard serviceman

Your Honor, I sincerely feel sorry for the people I hurt with my actions. I am guilty and fully acknowledge my guilt. It is hard for me to recall that time, the night of January 26 to 27. After my detention, the prosecutor and investigator and I conducted an interview, during which I told everything until late at night, after I voluntarily surrendered (to the police — ed.). My only wish: do not send me to a guardhouse, but to a pretrial detention center.

According to his lawyer, the defendant does not want to return to the place "where he was abused".

In a motion, the prosecution asked the court to remand Riabchuk in custody for 60 days without the option of posting bail. The prosecutor also asked that the suspect be held under arrest in a guardhouse at his military unit.

Prosecutors believe Riabchuk may go into hiding from the investigation and exert pressure on witnesses, representatives of the victims, investigators and experts involved in the case.

Court ruling

The court ordered the serviceman be held in custody without the option of bail for 60 days.

"The investigating judge considers it expedient to place the suspect Riabchuk in custody until March 27, 2022. Detention in a guardhouse at Riabchuk's place of service may interfere with the pretrial investigation and the impartial clarification of all circumstances of the crime, therefore the place of detention has been set as the 'Dnipro Penitentiary Institution No. 4,' the ruling says.

Before announcing the decision, the judge stayed in a conference room for more than two hours. He acknowledged the risks of Riabchuk influencing witnesses, representatives of the victims and investigators, as well as the possibility of them destroying evidence of his crime.

According to the prosecutor, Riabchuk committed a crime that resulted in deaths, so procedural legislation provides that the option of posting bail cannot be applied to the suspect. The judge agreed with the motion and did not provide an alternative of posting bail.

Riabchuk's lawyer asked the court to partially grant the prosecution's motion. He asked that the suspect not be placed in custody in guardhouse conditions, since the defense explained the need for this, as Riabchuk agrees that the suspicion is well-founded.

According to him, Riabchuk confessed to the crime on his own and surrendered to police, so he does not intend to go into hiding from the investigation. Commenting on the National Guardsman's wish to be held in pretrial detention, the lawyer noted that Riabchuk does not want to return to the place where he was abused.

What happened to the victims

Five injured servicemen are in serious condition but showing positive dynamics.

Denys Monastyrskyi
Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine

Zhanna Sharova sustained three wounds; her condition is serious but showing positive dynamics. Yesterday the young woman regained consciousness but remains connected to a ventilator. Igor Semenchenko suffered a stomach wound. Doctors were able to promptly remove the bullet; his condition is serious but showing positive dynamics. Vladyslav Gulida, Denys Namesnyk and Yevgeny Machula are conscious, their condition is serious with positive dynamics.

After reports of the wounded, more than 170 law enforcement officers responded to the call to donate blood. In addition, residents of Dnipro are also coming to help the victims.