A decade after the car bombing of journalist Pavel Sheremet in Kyiv, the legal case against three suspects is frozen until the end of Russia's full-scale war.

Ten years after the July 20, 2016, car bombing that killed journalist Pavel Sheremet in central Kyiv, the investigation and subsequent trial remain unresolved. Three suspects—Andriy Antonenko, Yulia Kuzmenko, and Yana Duhar—were arrested in 2019, but proceedings are currently suspended. The trial is expected to restart from scratch following the conclusion of Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine.

Legal Proceedings and Delays

The trial was initially ordered to restart in 2023 after one juror left the country and another was drafted into the military. In 2024, proceedings were further suspended because suspect Yana Duhar was drafted into the army. Lawyers and journalists have criticized the decision to restart the trial, suggesting that substitute jurors could have allowed the case to continue. Defense lawyer Dmytro Kruhovyi stated that if the prosecution proceeds with questioning all 500 previously mentioned witnesses, the trial could take years to conclude. The Prosecutor General's Office maintains that the investigation is ongoing to identify other potential organizers of the murder.

Evidence and Alternative Theories

The case against the three suspects relies primarily on CCTV footage and anthropometric and gait analysis. Forensic experts have noted that the video evidence is blurry, making positive identification difficult. Defense lawyers argue that gait analysis is insufficient as primary evidence and expect an acquittal. Several alternative theories regarding the murder have been explored, including potential links to the Belarusian regime of Alexander Lukashenko, given Sheremet's history of critical reporting. Other investigations have pointed toward the potential involvement of individuals linked to the Security Service of Ukraine or Belarusian nationalist figures, though authorities have focused primarily on the three named suspects.