Three ex-police officers in Ukrainian assault regiment charged with planting drugs on former brigade commander
Three former law-enforcement officers now serving in a Ukrainian assault regiment have been formally notified of suspicion for allegedly planting about 30 packets of cannabis and PVP in the car of Oleksandr Shyrshyn, a former battalion commander in the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade "Mahura," in Kharkiv on the night of 27–28 August 2026. The case has exposed a long-running conflict between Shyrshyn and the commander of the 225th Separate Assault Regiment, Oleh Shyriaiev, and prompted a service investigation by the 16th Army Corps.
Key points
- On 9 September 2026, the Office of the Prosecutor General announced three suspects had been exposed in the case.
- The suspects are former law-enforcement officers who currently serve in one of the Defense Forces brigades, identified by a UP source as the 225th Separate Assault Regiment.
- On the night of 27–28 August 2026, the suspects allegedly broke into Shyrshyn's car near his home in Kharkiv and planted about 30 packets of cannabis and PVP in ziplock bags.
- On 28 August, the suspects relayed Shyrshyn's route to patrol police, whose officers stopped his car on Kooperatyvna Street in Kharkiv and found the planted substances during a search.
- Shyrshyn immediately said the evidence had been fabricated and reported ongoing surveillance.
- He was charged under articles of the Criminal Code covering unlawful entry, violation of privacy, illegal drug trafficking and abetting the prosecution of a knowingly innocent person; a petition for pretrial detention is being prepared.
- The 16th Army Corps has opened a service investigation, and prosecutors say the actions of all participants, including police and Military Law Enforcement Service personnel, will be assessed.
Why it matters
The case turns on whether law-enforcement and military channels were abused to frame a critic of assault-regiment tactics. Because the suspects are current servicemen with prior police backgrounds, it raises questions about how personnel moving between those services are vetted. The 16th Army Corps has publicly questioned the legal basis for the detention and opened its own service investigation, and prosecutors have signaled that police officers and Military Law Enforcement Service personnel involved will also be assessed — pointing to institutional friction over how the case was handled.
What happened
On 9 September 2026, the Office of the Prosecutor General said three people had been exposed in the case of drug planting against former 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade "Mahura" battalion commander Oleksandr Shyrshyn. According to the investigation, the three suspects — former law-enforcement officers now serving in one of the Defense Forces' brigades, identified by a UP source as the 225th Separate Assault Regiment — conspired with other unidentified persons and organized covert surveillance of Shyrshyn. On the night of 27–28 August 2026, they allegedly entered his car parked near his home in Kharkiv and planted about 30 packets of cannabis and PVP in ziplock bags. On 28 August they passed information to patrol police, and officers stopped Shyrshyn on Kooperatyvna Street in Kharkiv, where the substances were found during a search. Shyrshyn immediately said the evidence was fabricated and reported that he had been under surveillance. He has been notified of suspicion under multiple articles of the Criminal Code covering unlawful entry, violation of privacy, illegal drug trafficking and abetting the prosecution of a knowingly innocent person; a petition for pretrial detention is being prepared. Prosecutors said the actions of all participants, including police and Military Law Enforcement Service personnel, will also receive a legal assessment.
Where reporting differs
Sources differ on whether Shyrshyn was detained or only summoned as a witness: the National Police's 28 August press materials described his detention and the seizure of narcotics, while later police statements to Ukrainska Pravda said he was summoned to the district department as a witness. There is also no agreement on the suspects' unit: a UP source in law enforcement identifies them as serving in the 225th Separate Assault Regiment, the State Bureau of Investigation refers only to an unnamed separate assault regiment, and Acting National Police head Maksym Tsutskiridze describes them as former police officers now in one of the separate assault regiments. On motive, investigators say the goal was to "discredit" Shyrshyn, while Shyrshyn himself alleges the plot was ordered by 225th Separate Assault Regiment commander Oleh Shyriaiev because of their long-standing conflict; authorities have not publicly endorsed that claim.
Background
In May 2025, Shyrshyn submitted a resignation report and publicly accused command of "stupid tasks" and unwarranted personnel losses on the Kursk direction. The General Staff then created a working group to review his claims; Shyrshyn was subsequently declared "undisciplined" and accused of spreading service information on social media. He challenged the reprimand in court and reported winning in February 2026; the "undisciplined" status was cancelled in August 2026. Before the drug-planting incident, Shyrshyn reported attempted break-ins at his apartment and surveillance by cars with cover license plates.