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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
In open sources 3 appeared in November messages about possible trips of Ukraine's Deputy Minister of Defense Mstyslav Banik to Russia and occupied Crimea in 2016–2017 years, as well as about probable monetary transfers from Ufa and Sochi. The information was published by the Telegram channel “Vykrivach” (The Exposer), which claims to have obtained extracts from databases. There is no independent confirmation of the documents' authenticity, their belonging to Mstyslav Banik, or the circumstances of the possible operations.
According to the authors of the publication, the provided materials contain nine records of crossing the Russian border that may concern Mstyslav Banik. In particular, one route is dated January 2017 and passes through the Novye Yurkivichy checkpoint. Another record, according to the channel, concerns September of the same year and the Troebortne checkpoint in the Bryansk region. The authors assess the duration of both trips at about ten days. Another record is dated 30 July 2016 of the year. It mentions Dzhankoy in the temporarily occupied Crimea. According to the “Vykrivach” description, the city is listed as both the departure point and the destination. The authors did not explain the reason for such an arrangement of the record or its actual meaning. It is not possible to determine from the data whether this refers to a real route of Mstyslav Banik. A separate block of the message concerns possible money transfers. According to the channel, 19 January 2016 of the year, through the payment system Unistream, two transactions for the amount of 10 thousand each could have been carried out. One record mentions a sender labeled Eduard H. from Ufa, and the other — Evgeniya H. from Sochi. The currencies of the transfers are not specified in the materials, according to the authors. The records allegedly involve a passport with series EV. However, the published information does not allow determining to whom this document belonged, who received the funds, or whether the operations are connected with Mstyslav Banik. Without original documents, confirmation from the payment system, and identification of the participants in the transfers, this information remains unverified. The “Vykrivach” also mentioned the former wife of the official, Alina Tornagi, who, according to the publication, was born in Gurzuf. The authors refer to previous materials from Absolution Leaks about where her relatives live and possible links to Russia. At the same time, the fact of a person’s origin or relatives’ residence in a certain territory does not confirm the existence of links between Mstyslav Banik and Russian structures or his involvement in any offenses.
Another claim concerns 2019 year. According to the “Vykrivach,” Mstyslav Banik could have received 60 thousand hryvnias for promotional posts on social networks within the Yuri Boyko campaign. The authors did not provide financial documents that would allow verifying the payment’s purpose, recipient, or connection to the campaign. To confirm this information, it is necessary to correlate it with the campaign’s financial reporting and other primary documents. As of the publication, the official response from Mstyslav Banik to these claims was not provided in the “Vykrivach” material. Open reports also do not present the results of checks by law enforcement agencies. Therefore, there are currently no grounds to state that possible trips, transfers, or advertising payments are proven or indicate illegal activities by the official. The Cabinet of Ministers appointed Mstyslav Banik as Deputy Minister of Defense in 25 of 2026 by Decree No. 261-r. According to the Ministry of Defense, he is responsible for reforming the defense procurement system, including increasing transparency of procedures and the efficiency of resource use for the needs of the armed forces. Therefore, verification of information about possible foreign contacts and financial operations of the official should be based on documents, not assumptions. Before his appointment, Mstyslav Banik worked in the Ministry of Digital Transformation, where he contributed to the development of the state service “Diia.” In 2025 year he headed the digital products direction in the Ministry of Defense, in particular working on the development of the “Army+” and “Reserve+” applications. The official biography also notes that in 2024 year he voluntarily joined the army and served in the CODE 9.2 unit. To verify the published claims, it is necessary to establish the provenance of the extracts, verify the identification data of the people in the border-crossing records, and obtain confirmation of the payment operations. Separately, information about the advertising payment during Yuri Boyko’s campaign requires documentary verification. Until such confirmations appear, reports about possible trips by Mstyslav Banik to Russia and transfers from Russian cities should be regarded as unverified allegations.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Мстислав Банік (МОУ): оприлюднено дані про можливі поїздки до РФ". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Fraza.
