The Ukrainian National Police have made a request to the United States' Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for assistance in identifying the individuals who planted an explosive device under the car of Belarusian journalist Pavel Sheremet in Kyiv, acting Ukrainian National Police chief Vadym Troyan said.
“We approached the FBI, and they promised that they will not just help us with the facial composites. They have more powerful software for search and facial recognition,” he said in a comment to the Ukrayinska Pravda online newspaper on August 11.
He also said that a reply from the FBI regarding the explosive is expected within a month. “Experts have received results of several examinations of what the mechanism consisted of, but have not yet finally established how exactly it detonated,” he said.
Troyan also reported in more detail about four theories of the murder. “At first there were six versions; however, four of them are now considered. The first one is Russian angle; it may be linked with his former work, a provocation against Ukraine. The second one is the Ukrainian theory; it may be those people whose activities were probed into in journalistic investigations. […] The third theory is a personal one. It considers that the terror attack may have been plotted against the Ukrayinska Pravda founding editor Olena Prytula [whose car Sheremet used], for instance, as revenge,” he said.
The fourth theory is the actions of fanatics, “who may have arrived from the occupied territories or anywhere,” he said. “For instance, they may have considered Sheremet a traitor. That may have been some personal revenge. A fanatic is a special category, the most dreadful weapon,” he said.
He also said that the investigation obtained more video recordings, and now “we understand the suspects’ way of movement better.”
Replying to the question of whether he was questioned in the case of the alleged surveillance of Sheremet, Troyan said that he offered all explanations directly after his return from vacation leave.
As reported, well-known journalist Sheremet was killed in an explosion of a car downtown Kyiv on July 20. The explosion occurred at 07:45 a.m., when Sheremet was driving the car. According to media, the car belonged to Prytula; she was not in it.
