On January 30, 2026, the investigating judge of the Solomyanskyi District Court of Kyiv satisfied the complaints of SENSE lawyers and ordered NABU detectives to consider the petition to recognize the serviceman and journalist Yuriy Butusov as a victim.
The SENSE team (managing partner Dmytro Krugovyi) represents the interests of the platoon commander of the 13th brigade of the Charter National Guard and the editor-in-chief of Censor.NET in the case of the illegal collection and storage of confidential information about him by the defendants in the case, known as Operation Midas.
Case context
During the NABU investigation into the activities of the criminal group (Operation Midas), facts of systematic collection of dossiers on Ukrainian investigators were revealed. The investigation established that the persons involved in the case, whose activities are linked to the Russian agent network, collected confidential data on the movements, contacts, and activities of Yuriy Butusov.
Given that Yuriy Butusov is a military serviceman, unauthorized collection of information about him in the interests of individuals affiliated with the aggressor state poses a threat not only to privacy but also to security.
Legal position
Previously, SENSE lawyers achieved the inclusion of information in the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations into the facts of committing criminal offenses provided for in:
- Part 3 of Article 171 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (Obstruction of the legitimate professional activities of journalists);
- Part 1 of Article 182 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (Violation of privacy).
The information was entered into the ERDR by NABU only after the relevant court decision of January 9, 2026. However, after the investigation began, the Bureau’s detectives effectively blocked Yuriy Butusov’s participation in the trial, ignoring the defense’s request to involve him as a victim. This deprived the applicant of procedural rights and the opportunity to control the course of the investigation.
Court decision
SENSE lawyers challenged the detectives’ inaction in court. Having considered the complaint materials (cases No. 760/1347/26 and No. 760/1349/26), the investigating judge found the inaction of NABU authorized persons unlawful. The court obliged the Bureau to consider the defense’s motion on the merits within 3 days from the date of receipt of the ruling.
Comment from SENSE Managing Partner Dmitry Krugovy
“We are observing a paradoxical situation: the crime was documented by the NABU itself, the dossier on the journalist and the serviceman was seized, the proceedings were opened, but the investigation stubbornly “does not see” the victim in the case. Such a procedural vacuum is usually created in order to quietly bury the case without unnecessary publicity. The court’s decision is unequivocal: ignoring the rights of Yuriy Butusov, especially in the context of possible surveillance of the serviceman by Russian agents, is unacceptable. We expect the court’s decision to be implemented and Mr. Butusov to be granted victim status as soon as possible.”
SENSE lawyers have transferred the court decisions to the NABU and continue to monitor their implementation.
Ignoring the law is a standard tactic of the system. If you need advice, contact us via the feedback form, by email at office@sense.ua or by phone at +38 (068) 714 22 55.