Practice of protecting honor, dignity and business reputation

Photo: Andriy Snizhko/40th Tactical Aviation Brigade

We are publishing this statement at the request and with the consent of our client Lilia Averyanova, the mother of Andriy Pilshchikov (“Juice”).

Today, August 25, 2025, is the second anniversary of the death of Andriy Pilshchikov (“Dzhus”), a pilot and Hero of Ukraine. Andriy became a symbol of courage and change in our army for thousands of people, and was one of the most visible ambassadors of the appearance of the F-16 in Ukrainian skies.

His mother, Liliya Averyanova, has been living with the pain of losing her son for two years. And now she has asked to share what she still has to experience because of the actions of the SBI investigators.

What happened:

On July 11, investigators from the State Bureau of Investigation came to Ms. Liliya’s apartment to search it without a court order, citing in the report an “urgent case” in the case of Vitaliy Shabunin.

As a result, they only took copies of documents for Ms. Liliya’s apartment — information that can be obtained from the state registry in a few clicks.

Simultaneously with the search of Ms. Liliya, SBI investigators were conducting investigative actions with the participation of Vitaliy Shabunin in another location.

In simple words, why this is wrong:

Without a trial – only in two extreme cases. The law allows searches without a warrant only when saving life/property or pursuing a suspect “on hot pursuit.” In our situation, there was neither rescue nor persecution: the SBI investigators were with Vitaly Shabunin in another location, and “rescuing” copies of documents for an apartment was absurd.

A search is one of the harshest interferences with human rights. They came to the mother of the fallen Hero without a court order, also for the sake of paper copies. This is excessive, disproportionate and without proper justification. A search is a last resort and the last step. First, a request to provide documents, then a court order for temporary access. Only when this is impossible and there is an immediate risk is a search permitted, and then by court order.

Such actions are an affront to dignity. The state must treat the families of the fallen with special respect. Instead, the “dialogue” between law enforcement officers and Ms. Liliya began with a search of her home. And this is against the background of the fact that the State Bureau of Investigation has been investigating the plane crash in which Andriy died for two years, and during all this time, not a single official conversation between law enforcement officers and the mother has taken place. It is unacceptable to start a conversation with the Hero’s mother by searching her. That can’t be.

Our answer:

We, the Miller team of attorneys, are representing Ms. Lilia pro bono and have already taken the following steps:

• We helped Ms. Liliya obtain official victim status in the proceedings regarding the plane crash in which Andriy died. This triggers due process communication, the right to request access to materials, evaluate procedural actions, and receive substantive responses.
• We contacted the State Bureau of Investigation for official explanations regarding the reasons for the “urgency” and actions taken during the search. As of August 25, 2025, there is no answer — that is, even here the Hero’s mother is left without an explanation.
• We have filed a criminal complaint with the Prosecutor General’s Office and will seek a legal assessment of the actions of all officials who entered Ms. Liliya’s apartment without a court order.

If there is no reaction, we will initiate further checks and appeals within the framework of national and international human rights protection mechanisms so that the decision regarding this situation is not formal, but substantive.

Mrs. Liliya raised the Hero. It is our duty to protect her dignity and right to justice.

Today, the prosecutor’s office conducted mass investigative actions against educators of the Teofipol community in the Khmelnytskyi region. 9 directors of educational institutions and 6 accountants received reports of suspicion in a criminal case about heating tariffs.

The bottom line: In 2021-2022, gas and energy prices increased several times. To prevent children from freezing in schools, local authorities approved an annual tariff with monthly payments. Educational institutions signed contracts for heat supply and paid exactly for the amount of heat they received.

The prosecutor’s office considers this to be a case of causing damage to the state, since heat was not supplied in the summer months (May-July), but payment was made.

What happened today:

• 15 simultaneous searches
• 15 requests for the application of the mildest preventive measure
• 13 blank search reports without any seizure of items or documents

Why this is important to understand: Educators are suspected of a crime allegedly committed through signing heating contracts. Such actions do not pose a threat to society or the investigation.

The suspects are experienced education workers who do not evade the investigation.

Having received the status of a suspect, a person is automatically obliged to come to the investigator’s summons and comply with his lawful demands.

Therefore, in this situation, the use of any preventive measure makes no sense. Even the mildest: a personal commitment (when a person promises to follow certain rules during the investigation).

Our position: we see work on mass effect and the pursuit of indicators instead of quality investigation. Three years ago, our clients were solving the issue of school heating in conditions of rapidly increasing energy prices. Children had to study in warmth. For this, they have now been unjustifiably called criminals.

We will provide professional protection for each client. We will appeal every procedural violation or illegal decision.

The Prosecutor General’s Office, Khmelnytskyi Regional Prosecutor’s Office — isn’t it time to remember that justice should be fair, not spectacular?

Justice should be based on facts, not on the number of investigative actions per day.

Today we returned from the beautiful city of Teofipol, in the Khmelnytskyi region. We will protect those who have invested many years of their lives in educating the new generation – school principals and representatives of the local community.

Sit comfortably, we will tell you some interesting details.

Let’s start with the region, it is very famous for the fact that a considerable number of prosecutors have received the status of a person with a disability of the second group. One of them is the Volochysk district prosecutor, who authorized this case and he has a disability of the second group, but when the scandal broke, he went to the CCC, and today he is dismissed. Another prosecutor was in the process of registering his disability, but did not have time.

Now a little about the city of Teofipol. This is an ancient Ukrainian settlement, known since 1420, which has stood at the crossroads of history and struggle for more than six centuries. Here the community has always united in times of trial – from Cossack uprisings to modern war. Our clients did everything in their power during the full-scale invasion so that children in schools did not freeze. And they did it within the limits of the law.

And now for the matter. What happened?

School principals, employees of institutions, and village council officials made decisions so that children would not freeze in classrooms and so that the educational process would not be disrupted, because the prices for gas and other energy sources increased significantly during the 2021-2022 heating season.

In this regard, in order to reduce the financial burden on the community budget, the Executive Committee approved a new tariff at the end of December, designed for 12 months of 2022, with monthly payment. If you add everything together, the utility company actually received payment for exactly the amount of heat it supplied according to the tariff calculation principle.

What did investigators and prosecutors see?

That the state suffered losses because in May, June, and July there was in fact no heat supply, but there was payment.

Everything would be fine, the investigation has been going on for three years and could have been even longer. But investigators and prosecutors began to put pressure on those who provided education, who were looking for solutions so that the new generation could study in warmth, and found these solutions within the law. This is about obscene language, about dissatisfaction that people took advantage of Article 63 of the Constitution of Ukraine, and for this there were separate meetings with threats.

We ask the prosecutor’s office and investigators to remain humane towards those who raised their children, including them.

We will provide these people with adequate protection.