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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
Almost three and a half years the case about the death of National Guard serviceman Vadym Bondarenko at a checkpoint in Kyiv lasted.
On Thursday, 29 October 2026 of the year, the Shevchenko District Court of Kyiv issued a verdict against former judge of the Makaryivskyi District Court Oleksii Tandyr, who in May 2023 of the year killed Vadym Bondarenko, a serviceman of the National Guard of Ukraine, in a fatal road accident. For the deadly traffic incident committed while intoxicated, the ex-judge was sentenced to nine years of imprisonment.
This was reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General and the State Bureau of Investigation.
The tragedy occurred on the night of 26 May 2023 of the year at a checkpoint entering Kyiv from the side of Zhytomyr. Then head of Makaryivskyi District Court of Kyiv Oblast Oleksii Tandyr, while driving a Lexus, ran into a National Guard serviceman.
At that moment, National Guard serviceman Vadym Bondarenko was on duty at the checkpoint. He died on the spot from the injuries.
According to the investigation, Tandyr was behind the wheel while intoxicated. After the accident, he refused to voluntarily undergo a test for alcohol and drug content in his body.
Subsequently, law enforcement obtained compulsory sampling of biological specimens. However, as investigators from the State Bureau of Investigation established, the former judge tried to conceal his condition and distort the results of the examination.
In particular, instead of proper biological samples, he tried to provide water and saliva.
During the pre-trial investigation, experts conducted 18 examinations, including forensic medical, chemical, and technical analyses. Their results became evidence in the case of the deadly road traffic accident.
Moreover, experts established that the driver began braking only immediately before the collision.
The case was investigated under part 3 of Article 286-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — violation of traffic safety rules by a person driving a vehicle while intoxicated, which caused the death of the victim.
The court process lasted over three years and was accompanied by numerous motions by the defense.
According to the prosecutor's office, due to relevant procedural actions more than 50 court sessions did not take place. The defense also filed more than 30 recusals of the judge and the prosecutor.
Additionally, during the case consideration, Tandyr tried to obtain release from custody through mobilization, but the court did not grant the motion.
After the deadly accident, the High Council of Justice removed Tandyr from exercising justice, and in August 2024 year he was finally dismissed from the post of judge.
Throughout the court proceedings he was in custody. In January 2026 year the court set a bail of almost 120 million hryvnias, which was later reduced by the appellate instance to about 20 million hryvnias.
As a result of the consideration of the criminal case, the Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Kyiv found Oleksii Tandyr guilty and sentenced him to nine years of imprisonment. He was also deprived of the right to drive vehicles.
In addition, the court granted the claim of the victims and ordered the convict to pay 40 million hryvnias of material and moral damages.
At the same time, the verdict can still be appealed in a higher instance.
Recall that the deceased Vadym Bondarenko was from Cherkasy region. The serviceman served in the National Guard of Ukraine and died while performing his duties at a checkpoint in the capital.
The fatal accident involving a judge drew significant public resonance. Particular attention was paid to the circumstances of the accident, attempts to hide intoxication, and the duration of the court proceedings.
More than three years after the tragedy, the first-instance court issued an indictment in the case of the death of a serviceman.
Earlier, StopKor reported that the Security Service of Ukraine announced a new peroribic suspicion of former MP Yevhen Murayev, who is suspected of justifying and denying Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine. According to the investigation, the former MP spread pro-Russian narratives, called the war an "internal civil conflict," and urged arming. Murayev is wanted on previous episodes, and under the new suspicion he faces up to 15 years in prison with seizure of property.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Збив нацгвардійця на блокпосту: колишній суддя Тандир отримав 9 років тюрми". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: StopKor.
