The State Bureau of Investigations (DBR) in Ukraine is examining potential criminal actions involving independent lawmaker Mar’yana Bezuhla. This inquiry was initiated following a complaint by fellow parliamentarian Serhiy Taruta, who alleges that Bezuhla committed treason.
On March 17, Taruta announced the investigation on his Facebook page. Subsequently, both the DBR and the Office of the Prosecutor General (OGP) confirmed the existence of the case in comments to Interfax-Ukraine.
According to Taruta, he and colleague Fedor Venislavskyi submitted a request regarding Bezuhla’s alleged treason during the ongoing state of war. A court reportedly mandated the OGP to open an investigation. Taruta claimed that Bezuhla’s statements about the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade, which was stationed in Vuhledar, disrupted a planned rotation and led to the loss of defensive positions.
“After her statements about the ‘withdrawal of the brigade from Vuhledar,’ Russian forces rapidly redirected significant resources to that area,” Taruta wrote.
On March 19, the OGP informed Interfax-Ukraine that, following a ruling from the Pechersk District Court in Kyiv, information regarding the lawmaker had been entered into the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations. The OGP noted that the DBR is conducting the pre-trial investigation, with oversight from OGP prosecutors. However, further details were withheld to protect the integrity of the investigation.
Tetiana Sapyian, a communications advisor for the DBR, confirmed on the same day that the bureau is pursuing a combined criminal case involving four offenses: treason during a state of war, disclosure of state secrets, revealing military information considered state secrets, and interference in the activities of a public official.
In response to the investigation, Bezuhla took to her Telegram channel on March 19, asserting that she would not be intimidated. She claimed that the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, is attempting to undermine her through the actions of Taruta and his associates.
The investigation into Mar'yana Bezuhla centers on allegations of treason, sparked by claims from fellow lawmaker Serhiy Taruta. As the DBR probes the matter, Bezuhla asserts she will not be intimidated by the accusations.