Nestor Shufrich’s son, who had been called up, did not return from leave
This is discussed in a column by Dmytro Ryasny, a journalist at *Ekonomichna Pravda*.
How Shufrich Jr. ended up in the brigade
According to the author of the column, Nestor Nestorovich Shufrich ended up in the reserve company of the 241st Brigade over a month ago. Such units accept military personnel who are awaiting assignment, transfer or referral to basic general military training.
Shufrich Jr. himself reportedly said that he had a military service deferment and was preparing to renew it. However, he was stopped by staff at the Pechersk District Military Registration and Enlistment Office, referred to a military medical commission, and then taken to the reserve company.
There is no documentary evidence in the article to confirm that he had a valid deferment.
What special conditions did the journalist describe?
The author claims that Shufrich Jr. was not accommodated in the general barracks with bunk beds, but in the administration’s rest room. There, he had a separate bed and bedding, which had not yet been issued to some of the other new arrivals at that time.
The mobile phones of other conscripts were confiscated upon arrival for security reasons. They were allowed to make calls from an office under the supervision of military personnel. At the same time, according to the journalist’s observations, Shufrich Jr. used his own mobile phone without such restrictions.
He received his uniform along with the other soldiers. However, his ceramic body armour plates and helmet were handed over to him separately. The article does not specify who exactly purchased or brought this equipment.
The journalist also writes that Shufrich Jr. was free to attend compulsory psychological training sessions at his own discretion, to leave them before they ended, and to arrive late for roll call.
However, the author does not accuse him of treating the other conscripts with contempt. According to the author, Shufrich socialised with the soldiers, visited the communal barracks and, together with others, sorted through the equipment they had received.
What is known about his leave
Subsequently, the command granted Nestor Shufrich leave for family reasons. According to the author of the column, at the time of writing he had not returned to the reserve company.
The start date of the leave, its duration and the date on which the serviceman was due to report back to his unit have not been disclosed. It is also unknown whether his leave was extended and whether he provided any documents that might explain his absence.
The article contains no comments from Nestor Shufrich Jr., the command of the 241st Brigade or the Pechersk District Military Registration and Enlistment Office.
Therefore, there are currently insufficient grounds to describe the situation as an unauthorised absence from the unit. A legal assessment of the soldier’s absence can be made by the command and law enforcement agencies once the timeframe and all the circumstances have been established.
What is the mobilised soldier’s father known for?
Nestor Shufrich Senior is a Member of Parliament elected from the pro-Russian OPZZh party, which is banned in Ukraine.
In September 2023, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) informed him that he was suspected of high treason. According to the investigation, the politician collaborated with the former Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council, Volodymyr Sivkovych, whom Ukrainian law enforcement agencies consider to be an agent of the Russian FSB.
During searches of the MP’s home, law enforcement officers reported finding Russian medals, St George’s ribbons and a document outlining a plan for autonomy in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
In February 2024, Shufrich was charged with a further offence — financing units of the Russian National Guard in occupied Crimea. Subsequently, the indictment against the MP and his former assistant was referred to court.
On 16 April 2026, the court changed Shufrich’s pre-trial detention to round-the-clock house arrest with the wearing of an electronic tag. He is required to surrender his travel documents, attend court hearings and refrain from contacting witnesses in the case.
It is for the court to determine the MP’s guilt.
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