They aim to forcibly remove the leaders of the land mafia who are against the mayor in the front-line town of Apostolovo.
The Russians did not reach Apostolovo, a city in the Dnipropetrovsk region. However, the people involved in making decisions have returned, as reported by Antikor.
Efforts are being made to damage the reputation of the mayor, Andrei Osu, by using a fabricated case that emerged suddenly a year ago. There is real pressure being exerted against the mayor of the front-line city by law enforcement agencies and businessmen who are interested in reinstating previous agreements. The reason for this could be the war declared by Andrey Osa against the land mafia and its connections within law enforcement agencies.
At present, the mayor of Apostolovo, his family members, as well as municipal employees and some of the deputy corps are effectively under the control of the land mafia, who are ordering their criminal prosecution and actively terrorizing them. The front-line city itself is being intentionally placed in a state of chaos and left to manage on its own.
Who would gain from forcefully removing the leaders of Apostolovo?
Andrei Osa won the mayoral election in Apostolovo in 2020 with a overwhelming majority, securing 37.1% of the votes. The current mayor, Stanislav Nigai, only received a little over 5% of the voters' support. One of Andrey Osa's initial actions was to reassess communal property in order to return it to the community.
Soon after, the mayor successfully retrieved the unlawfully taken land and arranged transparent auctions for its lease. As a result, thanks to Osa's actions, over 1000 hectares of urban land began to be utilized legally, contributing to the budget of Apostolovo. In parallel, Osa started to receive threats from the land mafia in an attempt to disrupt the auctions and withhold payments to the budget.
Despite the threats from criminal circles, Osa persisted and in October 2021, criminal case No. 42021040000000569 emerged, with the mayor of Apostolovo and members of his team listed as suspects. However, the evidence for allegations of corruption or property embezzlement was so minimal that the case was not investigated thoroughly. Andrei Osa continued his work and the battle against the land mafia without much disruption.
And after there was a war… When both formidable investigators and valiant prosecutors somehow quieted down and hid behind ordinary village heads, mayors and heads of districts, and what’s there – and behind the backs of ordinary citizens.
Since the beginning of the war, Apostolovo has been actively involved in defending the city from the Russians, providing humanitarian aid, and facilitating the evacuation of those seeking to leave the war zone, alongside the townspeople. Osa's briefings were broadcast by regional and central media. Like most mayors and community leaders in Dnepropetrovsk, Osa demonstrated a strong pro-Ukrainian stance. Despite the challenging circumstances, Osa remained close to the people, standing by them in difficult times and not becoming a distant figure.
They want to behead the front-line town of Apostolovo: the land mafia against the mayor
They want to behead the front-line city of Apostolovo: the land mafia against the mayor
Mayor Osa and his team have continuously provided assistance to the community, protected the city, and supported the army since the beginning of the war.
Andrey Osa, along with public services, spent all the days of the war with the residents, often arriving at the shelling site at the same time as the Ministry of Emergency Situations, and much earlier than many law enforcement officers who were not very visible during the intense shelling in the frontline city.
For instance, on the night of June 15, they almost immediately started clearing the aftermath of missile strikes.
Continuously present in the frontline city for nearly 7 months, leading the city's defense and support efforts with the team, organizing work and setting up a logistics chain for delivering aid to residents, launching hotlines for residents, providing assistance to military, civilians, and IDPs, Andrey Wasp… faced pressure again from land dealers and law enforcement officers who had returned to the country and suddenly recalled a case from a year ago.
“Unconventional methods” of prosecutor Diky
Andrei Osa was arrested in his house on September 29. Investigators and prosecutors revived a long-forgotten embezzlement case and embellished the accusations by also involving a charge of creating a criminal organization (Article 255 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine), as this article is seen as particularly serious.
It's surprising that since October 2021, the entire case has been stagnant in the investigation. For a whole year, neither the investigator of the National Police in the Dnipropetrovsk region, Oleksandr Moroka, nor the prosecutor of the Dnipropetrovsk regional prosecutor's office, Denis Dykiy, showed concern about the mayor's alleged crimes – the frontline zone needed his work to protect Apostolovo. A logical question arises – why wasn't this supposedly dangerous corrupt official removed back in March? Were they waiting for the invaders' campaign against the Dnipropetrovsk region to conclude?
So, the person accused of organizing an entire criminal group spent all this time defending the approaches to the city, having access to classified information about the city's defense and communicating daily with the military to provide assistance?
Now Andrey Osa is in the hospital – he has been admitted to Kryvyi Rih Infectious Diseases Hospital No. 1. Despite this, prosecutor Dikiy and investigator Moroka are persistently demanding that the mayor appear in court. It's quite remarkable how determined they are to pursue a man who stayed in the city amidst heavy shelling, ensured the round-the-clock operation of the City Defense Headquarters, and never thought of leaving. Now, according to law enforcement, he should evade the investigation in an old case while he is recovering in the hospital.
Before, Andrei Osa was regularly called for questioning, in a bad state of health, and they insisted on putting him in custody, even though house arrest was not suitable for the suspected prosecutor Diky.
Alongside the attacks on Andrey Osa, they also arranged for the harassment of Andrey Osa's wife, who is the mother of his young child. According to sources, there is a lot of pressure on the judges of the Dnipropetrovsk region to remove the disgraced mayor, his wife, and his team.
Currently, the whole team of the mayor, part of the executive body of the City Council, and most of the deputies are under pressure. This is causing the city of Apostolovo to be put into a state of chaos.
Andriy Osa has already reported the misconduct of the investigator Moroka and the prosecutor Dikyi to NABU and the State Bureau of Investigation.
It is interesting to note who is behind the persecution of Andrei Osa. Denis Dykyy is a well-known prosecutor of the Saksagansky district of the Dnepropetrovsk regional prosecutor's office. He has faced protests from the inhabitants of Kryvyi Rih due to his inappropriate behavior in court.
Considering Mr. Diky's reputation, it is not surprising that the investigative actions were carried out without the main suspect's involvement – he was not informed about them. Andrei Osa, his family, children, and close relatives are now facing intense pressure, including defamation in anonymous messages, surveillance, and intimidation from the Wild and Moroka investigator.
So, the main question is why the mayor of a front-line city was put in pre-trial detention during the Russian invasion? The case was suddenly revived exactly one year after it started – as if by someone's order. An order from someone who is uncomfortable with the fact that Andrey Osa did not join the “Monaco battalion” or turn to looting, but continued to fight against both Russians and internal criminals like the land mafia.
Igor Gavrilenko
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