On September 25, the SBU, the National Police, and the prosecutor’s office conduct searches at the home of Ostap Stakhiv, a Lviv pseudo-activist promoting Russian narratives in Ukraine.
Stakhov is known for his friendship with collaborator Kirill Stremusov. During the war, he organized courses on “how to fight off the TCC.” And he likes to say that the war began because Ukrainians and Russians were “eaten.”
Stakhov previously promoted anti-vaccination ideas during the coronavirus pandemic.
Zaxid.net reported that the Security Service of Ukraine detained a 39-year-old provocateur and anti-vaccinator, he was allegedly informed of suspicions of fraud. The court will soon choose a measure of restraint for him.
The SBU also conducted searches at a number of Stakhiv’s associates. In particular, at Dmytro Vratil and Natalia Regan, who helped Stakhiv produce journalistic IDs for sale, and at the co-organizer of the courses in Kyiv, Zhan Novoseltsev, whose computer was also confiscated. In addition, searches were conducted at the Kopibum printing center on Drahomanova Street in Lviv. There, Stakhov printed journalistic IDs that were received by participants in the pseudo-courses.
Since 2021, Stakhov has been a defendant in a case under the article on overthrowing the constitutional order. The provocateur was suspected after organizing anti-vaccination protests in Kyiv. In 2023, Stakhov, together with anti-vaccination activist Oleh Gerich from the Kyiv region, began organizing paid pseudo-journalism courses. After completing the so-called training, participants received journalistic credentials to threaten the police and TCC workers.
In late spring 2024, Stakhov stopped cooperating with Gerich and began organizing courses with pro-Russian blogger Zhan Novoseltsev, who was suspected of obstructing the legitimate activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on July 23. Over the two years of conducting pseudo-exercises, Stakhov, who does not have a permanent place of work, could earn hundreds of thousands of hryvnia.
In May 2024, Stakhov tried to renew the registration of his pseudo-media “Galitskie Vesti”, “Idea i Chin” from the NGO “People’s Television” and “Human Rights Defenders”, from which he sold the ID, but the National Council refused to re-register the fake media. Consequently, the IDs that Stakhov sold became invalid. After that, he registered the “Lviv Professional Union of Journalists” and began selling the ID on its behalf.
What is known about Stakhiv
Let us recall that the 39-year-old provocateur Stakhov is a native of Khodoriv in the Lviv region. In 2005, when Stakhov was studying at the Lviv Agrarian University, he headed the Zhydachiv district organization of the Svoboda party. Stakhov first tried unsuccessfully to get into parliament in 2007 from Svoboda, but the following year he left the party and headed the Lviv city cell of the Ukrainian Party. Since then, he began to hold various actions for the “rights of ordinary people.” In 2010, the Ukrainian Party accused Stakhiv of selling places on party lists and expelled him from the party for “fraudulent, adventurous actions and the misappropriation of the organization’s funds and the sale of places on the party list.”
In 2011, Stakhov created the National Front and said that he would fight for the “revival of the spiritual, economic and political strength of Ukraine.” The following year, he created the NGO “Idea Natsii” and organized actions, during one of which the then head of the “Right Sector” in the Lviv region, Igor Kotsiuruba, gave him a dime. In 2016, unknown people threw Stakhiv into a garbage dump on Voronoho Street in the center of Lviv.
In 2017-2018, Stakhov lectured to medical students in Ivano-Frankivsk, spoke out against developers and prosecutors, and blocked roads. In 2019, the pseudo-activist again unsuccessfully tried to get into parliament.
However, Stakh gained real popularity in Ukraine after the start of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. He claims that the disease is made up and calls for not getting vaccinated or wearing masks. Stakhov created the NGO “Human Rights”, declared himself “the people’s mayor of Lviv” and began distributing journalistic credentials to everyone who wanted them. This is the document he uses when he organizes provocations in hospitals, police stations or kindergartens. Also in 2020, Stakhov tried to become the mayor of Lviv.
Stakhov supported the Khmelnytskyi provocateur and OPZZh representative Viktor Vikarchuk, who wanted to create a fake city council. His comrade-in-arms in the fight against vaccination was also Elena Faist, who admitted that she received money for shares from Russia. Stakhov was also friends with the Kherson collaborator Kirill Stremousov and continues to support the pro-Russian anti-vaccinator from Mykolaiv, Oleksandr Nadezhda.
In the fall of 2021, Stakhiv managed to organize a large-scale anti-vaccination rally in Kyiv, to which people were brought in by buses. On November 16, 2021, the Security Service of Ukraine informed him of suspicion of overthrowing the constitutional order. After that, Kyrylo Stremousov and Oleksandr Nadezhda came to Lviv to support Stakhiv. The Galitsky District Court sent Stakhiv to a pre-trial detention center with the option of paying UAH 1 million in bail, which the provocateur’s supporters collected almost a week later. It should be noted that Stakhiv was sent for a compulsory psychiatric examination, but doctors found him mentally healthy.
Stakhiv’s case began to be heard in April 2022, but the court has not yet announced the indictment. The case was initially in the Galitsky District Court of Lviv, while it is currently being heard by the Pechersky District Court of Kyiv.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.