The case of the persecution of lawyer Denys Fedorkin by Ukrainian law enforcement has gained new momentum following the intervention of a Spanish court

A story that began as a typical conflict in Ukrainian realities between investigators and a lawyer has now escalated into an international criminal case with rapid developments in Spain and unpredictable consequences for Ukraine.

On November 11, a hearing took place in Madrid at the Juzgado de Instrucción regarding a case involving more than a dozen Ukrainians. What adds a scandalous tone to this case is the fact that these Ukrainians are far from ordinary citizens: most of them are current and former law enforcement officers.

Among the individuals involved in the Spanish court proceedings are Anatoliy Pasichnyk, a senior investigator at the Second Investigative Department of the Territorial Office of the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) in Kyiv, and Oleksandr Filonenko, an operative officer of the SBI Territorial Office in Kyiv.

The case materials also mention civilian individuals who, according to the investigation, may have acted as intermediaries or provocateurs: Vladyslav Trofimtsev (former deputy prosecutor of Kyiv), Oleksiy Pylychuk, Maryna Kosenko (Pylychuk), Volodymyr Buryi, Pavlo Mordik, and others. Joint efforts by Spanish and Ukrainian law enforcement agencies have already been carried out regarding these individuals. The involvement of Interpol confirms the international interest in the criminal activities of the aforementioned persons.

The reason all these individuals have become figures in yet another international scandal is a statement submitted by Denys Fedorkin to the investigative court in Valencia. In it, the applicant claims that representatives of Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigations and associated civilians systematically extorted money from him, accompanied by threats. Denys Fedorkin provided European law enforcement with evidence—audio recordings, correspondence, and conversation protocols containing direct threats and demands for money—that support his statement.

It was the reaction of Spanish law enforcement that brought renewed relevance to the issue and shed light on additional motives that likely underpinned the "old" Ukrainian case, which had been used for years to pressure the lawyer and his close associates.

Denys Fedorkin, who has been living in Spain with his family since 2022, claims systematic persecution by Vladyslav Trofimtsev, the former deputy prosecutor of Kyiv, SBI investigator Anatoliy Pasichnyk, as well as businessman Oleksiy Pylychuk and his wife Maryna Kosenko.

According to Fedorkin, since the summer of 2022, he has regularly received demands to pay significant sums of money—initially $500,000 to the "applicants" and an additional $250,000 to investigator Pasichnyk. In another instance, the demands amounted to $80,000 to stop a search and $150,000 to close the case. All these demands, as the lawyer notes, were documented: recordings of phone conversations, screenshots of correspondence, and other materials have become part of the Spanish dossier.

According to the applicant, the threats were not limited to him alone. Conversations mentioned his wife and son, with interlocutors warning of possible abduction from Spanish territory. At the same time, informational attacks were organized against him—for instance, in November 2023, a paid advertisement with personal photos and discrediting claims was posted on social media, specifically targeted at the region where Denys Fedorkin resides, i.e., Spain.

Following the escalation of the situation, Fedorkin was forced to turn to Spanish law enforcement, submitting an official statement about threats and extortion in July 2024. According to the document filed through the LexNET system, he accused four individuals—Pylychuk, Trofimtsev, Mordik, and Buryi—of threats and coercion, providing information about their contacts, actions, and connections. The Spanish proceedings are classified as a case of "amenazas condicionales"—threats involving extortion of benefits in exchange for preventing harm.

In the fall of 2025, Spanish law enforcement conducted the first hearings. Interpol also participated in the verification process, confirming the international nature of the case and the interest of European structures in its investigation. With the emergence of the Spanish dimension, old contradictions within the Ukrainian criminal case have resurfaced in a new light.

The proceedings against Fedorkin, initiated back in 2021 on suspicion of fraud, were officially closed in February 2022. However, a year later, one of the prosecutors overturned the closure decision, despite the investigation deadlines having long expired. Subsequently, two new proceedings emerged, fully replicating the old materials, which, according to the lawyer, were created solely to continue the pressure and blackmail.

The culmination came on November 19, 2025: SBI investigators, along with prosecutors, attempted to serve a new notice of suspicion through the lawyer’s father, even though Denys Fedorkin has not lived at that address for a long time. The document (as recorded on video) was simply thrown under the door, despite the father’s objections that he could not pass it on to his son.

According to Denys Fedorkin, these actions fit into the overall logic of a scheme in which criminal proceedings and official mechanisms were used as tools of influence, and the pressure on him and his family was part of a years-long history of persecution. In a press release from his human rights group, it is emphasized that the lawyer has been opposing the interests of criminal structures for many years, including those linked to Russian drug trafficking, and that his human rights activities are one of the reasons for the persecution.

In light of new facts obtained from foreign law enforcement, the old case is being interpreted differently. The reaction from Spain and the start of an international investigation have shifted the focus: if previously it appeared as an internal conflict between a lawyer and certain officials, now it concerns a possible transnational scheme of extortion using state powers, informational pressure, and threats of physical harm.

Thanks to the international publicity the case has received, it has become clear that the story is far from over. The Spanish investigation, which is in an active phase, has the potential to uncover new circumstances and provide additional signals to the Ukrainian side for a legal response. Fedorkin himself assures that he will continue to inform about the progress of events and has no intention of backing down, as he considers the case a matter not only of personal safety but also of defending his professional principles and the rule of law.

Author: Denys Kravchenko