The commander of the controversial 211th pontoon-bridge brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleg Poberezhniuk, who, according to the investigation, covered up the abuse of military personnel, has been sent to pre-trial detention, but the officer can be released on bail of 12 million UAH. This was reported by The Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine.
The agency notes that prosecutors requested an arrest and bail of 40 million UAH, but the court set a different amount under which the military can be released from isolation.
"The commander of the 211th pontoon-bridge brigade has been placed under detention with the possibility of posting bail of 12 million 112 thousand UAH," the message states.
A petition has also been filed with the court to suspend the suspect from carrying out official duties.
Scandal in the 211th Brigade
It should be noted that in the 211th pontoon-bridge brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, military personnel were systematically abused. The scandal began after publications in the media. Journalists managed to uncover that the brigade was formed in 2022, and from the very beginning, the core of the personnel consisted of individuals with long-standing professional, friendly, or familial ties. The brigade commander, Oleg Poberezhniuk, whose wife worked at the TCC, involved relatives and acquaintances in service.
Yesterday, December 29, it became known that the officer was detained and brought to Kyiv. According to the State Bureau of Investigations, detectives detained and informed the commander of the 211th brigade of the suspicion, who did not respond to the facts of abuse and torture of the military personnel under his command.
It has been established that at least from February to July 2024, the brigade commander was aware of numerous instances of torture and other inhumane treatment of fighters by an officer subordinate to him. However, the brigade commander did not take action and did not initiate the issue of holding the officer accountable.
The senior lieutenant, who beat and tortured subordinate military personnel, is the son of the chief of staff of the mentioned military unit and is a close associate of the brigade commander.