Controversial lawmaker Tyshchenko charged with illegally detaining ex-soldier.

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Controversial lawmaker Mykola Tyshchenko has been charged with illegally detaining a former soldier, the State Bureau of Investigation announced on June 25. Tyshchenko is a member of President Volodymyr Zelensky's Servant of the People party. The charges followed videos widely circulated earlier in June that showed Tyshchenko and his bodyguards arguing and then fighting with a former soldier, later identified as Dmytro Pavlov, who was walking in the city center of Dnipro with his child.

Videos showed Tyshchenko and his bodyguards approaching Pavlov and asking him for documents, which reportedly instigated the argument and ensuing fight with Pavlov. According to the bureau, Pavlov was detained for an unspecified period of time and received physical injuries in the process. Tyshchenko confirmed later that he had been in Dnipro at the time of the attack and claimed that he was there to investigate a purported network of bot farms.

The Prosecutor General's Office remanded Tyshchenko to house arrest. After the videos circulated, Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak said that Tyshchenko's behavior was "absolutely disgraceful." Yermak added that he has known Tyshchenko for a long time and previously christened his son. The story caused a widespread backlash from activists and soldiers, with many calling for Tyshchenko's arrest.  

The video was then spread on social media by various accounts critical of Ukraine, who falsely characterized it as depicting enlistment officers forcing a young father into the army. Tyshchenko is no stranger to controversy and was expelled from the parliamentary faction of the Servant of the People party in January 2023 following a reportedly unsanctioned trip to Thailand during wartime. Previously, Tyshchenko was fired from the position as party chief in Zakarpattia Oblast in July 2022, which the party attributed to his bad reputation.

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