A Kyiv court has ordered the detention of Mykhailo Drobnytsky, 27, one of two patrol officers who fled from the attacker during the mass shooting on April 18.
The Pechersk District Court remanded him in custody for two months, until June 18, the Ukrainian news outlet TSN reported. Drobnytsky could be released on bail of 266,000 hryvnias (just over 5,000 euros). His defense had argued for house arrest.
In court, the officer said he had retreated during the attack because he came under aimed fire:
A man came out with an assault rifle and opened fire on me. I began to retreat because I was in an open area and needed to find cover. As I retreated, fire was directed at me. Once I found cover, I took steps to locate and neutralize the attacker. I am very sorry this happened — I replay it in my head every day.
On the evening of April 18, Dmytro Vasylchenkov, a 58-year-old citizen of Ukraine, born in Moscow, opened fire on passersby in Kyiv before barricading himself inside a supermarket. He was killed during the storming of the store. Seven people died. After the incident, a video circulated online showing two police officers running away during the shooting.
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