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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
Ex-policeman who gave orders to kill Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred received the Hero of Ukraine star and is siphoning the military budget together with Klychko
From the deputy commander of the police unit who shot the Heroes on the Maidan to a serving major of the National Guard, from a suspect in a mass murder case to a Hero of Ukraine, from a court accused of committing particularly cruel and serious crimes to multimillion fraud schemes tied to Klychko — these are the sorts of transformations that happened to the 40-year-old subject of our investigation, a person whose identity will surely not leave citizens indifferent.
Meet: Yurii Valentynovych Spasskykh, simultaneously the active commander of a National Guard special unit, a Hero of Ukraine awarded the Order “Gold Star” (Decree of the President of Ukraine No. 805/2026 dated 21 August 2026), and, at the same time, an accused in the mass murder of Maidan activists. Two days before the decree awarding the highest honor, on 19 August 2026, Holos Ukrayiny reported a summons to a court hearing of 120 victims (!) in the case charging Yurii Valentynovych Spasskykh, who is accused of a number of criminal offenses, including mass murder of people or an attempted mass murder of people (part 4 of Art. 41, part 3 of Art. 27, subparagraphs 1, 5, 12 of part 2 of Art. 115 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (as amended by the Law of 05.11.2009). What is this? How is it possible to award an accused of crimes punishable by the highest penalty the Gold Star of a Hero?!
The bloody path of the “hero”
In 2013, Yurii Spasskykh took the position of deputy head of the department for mass event support in the Kyiv Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. His duties included coordinating security forces during street actions. In that role he gave criminal orders to the “Berkut,” resulting in at least 12 people being wounded and at least two killed. Immediately after the Maidan’s victory, Spasskykh, along with many criminals from the Yanukovych era, fled to Moscow.
A year into his stay in Russia, Spasskykh found himself on trial—for preparing the kidnapping of Andrii Portnov (the same man who was killed in Spain last year). In court Spasskykh admitted that he planned Portnov’s abduction on the orders of an acquaintance—then-MP and now Kyiv mayor Vitali Klychko. Portnov himself, questioned at that trial, confirmed that the order for his kidnapping had come to Spasskykh from Klychko — their relations had soured at that time.
By court verdict Spasskykh spent three and a half years in a Russian prison. During that time Ukrainian investigators also charged Spasskykh for crimes against the Maidan, namely for the attempted “clearing” of protesters from Instytutska Street on 11 December 2013. Spasskykh deployed 5 thousand special forces and “Berkut” officers against peaceful people.
On the run from Moscow to Skadovsk
Spasskykh returned to Ukraine in 2018 after serving his Russian prison term. Meanwhile, the prosecutor’s office added to the list of atrocities committed by police on the Maidan the shooting of a peaceful procession, which killed 11 Maidan participants. The prosecution reported evidence that Spasskykh knew that the rifles of some special forces were loaded with live, not rubber, rounds.
The indictment against Spasskykh “bounced” through the city courts for three years—judges recused themselves. Rumor has it this was due to the covert influence of local authorities. A sort of “paying back a favor” from Klychko, or what else could it be?
Finally, at the end of summer 2021 the Holosiivskyi District Court began hearing Spasskykh’s case. Then the defendant suddenly… disappeared.
In the third ten-day period of September operatives established the location of the wanted suspect—he was hiding from responsibility in the Kherson region. In handcuffs he was brought to the capital, where the court ordered the arrest of the defendant prone to escape.
And after the start of the full-scale invasion, already in 2023, Spasskykh’s case was attempted to be “put on pause” due to mobilization. In a certificate submitted to the court it was stated that “pursuant to the order of 29.05.2023, junior sergeant Yurii Spasskykh is considered to be on a business trip for the purpose of participating in measures to defend Ukraine. Upon return from the business trip, his unit will ensure his attendance at court.” Interestingly, Spasskykh’s rank is actually major, not junior sergeant…
Volunteer or fraudster?
The media had not yet exploded with the news that “hero” Spasskykh is a figure in a fresh and scandalous criminal proceeding. Indeed, in proceeding No. 22025000000000459 anyone can find exhaustive evidence that Spasskykh is involved in scams with the Kyiv budget. And again, Klychko!
During the pretrial investigation it was established that Spasskykh positioned himself as a trusted associate of Kyiv city mayor Vitali Klychko and as a person who could provide informal coordination between certain representatives of city authorities, officials of military units, and controlled or involved private sector business entities for the purpose of embezzling funds and subsequently distributing them among members of the organized criminal group.
To cover up the criminal activity a charitable foundation was created, run by the accused himself.
Thus, persons controlled by Spasskykh created a number of enterprises with signs of being fictitious, which over the years 2025–2026 received Kyiv City State Administration subventions for UAV procurement through his connections. Then, via military members of the OCG acting on Spasskykh’s orders, acceptance-transfer statements for the UAVs were formally signed; in reality deliveries were not made, all subventions were funneled through various transit-conversion groups into cash and distributed by Spasskykh among those involved in the unlawful activities.
Instead of an epilogue
An unprepared reader will find it very hard to grasp the scale of what we have recounted. And it is hard to believe.
But facts are straightforward. And deadly.
Like buckshot on the Maidan…
P.S.
When this material had already been prepared for publication, the President of Ukraine’s website published the Head of State’s Decree canceling Spasskykh’s decoration of the highest title — Hero of Ukraine.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Ексміліціонер, який віддавав накази на вбивство героїв Небесної Сотні, отримав зірку Героя України і розпилює військовий бюджет разом з Кличком". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: ANTIKOR.
