Protasiv Yar is the historical place in Kyiv. It is located in Solomyanskyi district in Kyiv. This is the ravine between Baikova and Batyieva Mountains. Today, the forest area estimates approximately 30 ha. For the last year, the local activists struggle to protect this area from illegal construction.
On April 26, 2007, Kyiv Council illegally leased 3.23 hectares in Protasiv Yar.
On June 6, 2018, one year after the expiration of the term of lease, the sublease agreement of the above-mentioned area was signed between Bora LLC and Daytona Group LLC (also the illegal operation).
Investigation of the Rukh Chesno with the description of situation:
The beginning and course of the confrontation
On May 4, 2019, the Initiative Group Protect Protasiv Yar was formed at the meeting of Protasiv Yar community. 22-year-old local resident Roman Ratushnyi was selected as the head of it. The purpose of the Initiative Group was to counteract forest destruction and construction of the residential complex by Dnipro company Daytona Group LLC.
The beneficiary of construction company Daytona Group LLC, according to media reports and the CEO of Daytona Group LLC, is Gennadiy Korban, his business partner Oleg Levin, and Kyiv businessman Igor Kucherenko (according to the media, former member of the organized criminal group)
On June 16, 2019, the head of the Initiative Group Protect Protasiv Yar Roman Ratushnyi and his neighbour filed the lawsuit to Kyiv District Administrative Court to appeal the illegal permit regarding the construction issued to Daytona Group LLC.
During May-June 2019, local residents were attacked in Protasiv Yar by the security guard hired by Daytona Group LLC, namely by the company associated with the speaker of the National Corps Party Serhiy Korotkih PE Foxtrot-13. The police evaded protection of participants during protests of local residents.
Threats
On June 24, 2019, at 2 p.m. Roman Ratushnyi received direct threats from one of the security heads at the construction. In the presence of the National Police officer he said: “I’ll find you and break your back”. Earlier, he had already attacked Roman Ratushnyi.
On August 14, 2019, the lawyer Andriy Smyrnov contacted Roman Ratushnyi. He failed in negotiations and began to intimidate Ratushnyi, including the words “If we do not reach the compromise, then I will call Oleg (Levin) and say that I didn’t do the job, because I don’t need shooting and so on”, “I can be the constructive negotiator between you and the business, but if we find the starting point, otherwise all these thefts, attacks and blood are bad for the reputation and I will not take part in it”.
On August 28, 2019, Gennadiy Korban threatened Roman Ratushnyi via Facebook
On September 15, 2019, Ludvik Avalyan, one of guards at the construction site, attacked Yuliya Kononenko, the community coordinator of Protasiv Yar and struck her in the head. Yuliya Kononenko was diagnosed with the concussion and injury of the jawbone. The police refused to arrest the attacker.
On September 20, 2019, in the presence of witnesses Dmytro Nikitin threatened Ratushnyi, Kononenko, Zakharchenko and their families with causing bodily harm and injuries, as well as arson of Kononenko’s furniture showroom. He suggested Ratushnyi to agree on the amount of pecuniary recompense for the termination of his participation in coordination of the local community against the construction at Protasiv Yar. Dmytro Nikitin stated that otherwisw Ratushnyi would simply disappear. And he would apply physical tortures against him. Ratushnyi recorded most of the conversation with Dmytro Nikitin on the video.
On September 31, 2019, Roman Ratushnyi received information that he would be kidnapped and killed soon. This was due to the return of Gennadiy Korban. Taking into consideration the complete inaction of the police, including the criminal proceeding regarding public threats against Korban, Roman Ratushnyi was forced to change his place of residence and the phone number.
The reaction of state authorities
On September 5, 2019, Kyiv City State Administration Commission on the Verification of Information on Resonant Objects of Construction sent the appeal to the leadership of Kyiv Police Department with the request to monitor the course of the pre-trial investigation regarding threats against the representative of Protasiv Yar community Roman Ratushnyi.
No progress was made in the investigation. The police, which is investigating the criminal proceeding No. 12019100090008647 as of August 31, 2019 regarding threats to Korban, did not make any attempts to communicate with the injured Ratushnyi.
On October 18, 2019, Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union, Human Rights Media Initiative, Kharkiv Human Rights Group (KHRG), ZMINA, the Human Rights Center and the Human Rights Center Action sent the joint appeal to law enforcement agencies with the demand to investigate appeals regarding murder and attacks on members of the Initiative Group Protasiv Yar Defenders. There was no response from the police.