Hundreds of people rallied in front of a Kyiv courthouse on June 12 to support Odesa activist Serhiy Sternenko, who has been charged with murder.
Sternenko, an activist against unlawful development and former head of the nationalist movement Right Sector’s Odesa chapter, was assaulted three times in 2018. During one of these attacks, Sternenko allegedly stabbed to death one of his assailants, Ivan Kuznetsov, with a knife. The second assailant fled Ukraine after being released by police. Sternenko suffered cuts to his arm and a concussion.
On June 11, the State Security Service charged Sternenko with premeditated murder and illegal possession of a blade, saying that the attack ended when both assailants started running away. The SBU alleged that Sternenko chased down the fleeing Kuznetsov and killed him.
Sternenko maintains his innocence, saying that he acted in self-defense and that the knife he wielded does not qualify as an illegal weapon.
The next hearing will take place on June 15.
