Can’t find anything in English, yet, other than Twitter and Reddit posts.

Ukraine: Kononovich brothers released from prison and placed under house arrest (in Spanish) (Google Translate, if it works)

The Chairman of the Communist Youth League of Ukraine Mikhail Kononovich and his brother Alexander, also a Komsomol member and anti-fascist activist, who were detained and ill-treated in Ukraine in March 2022, have been released from pre-trial detention to arrest. residence by court decision, reports the Belarusian news portal «sb.by».

In fabricated charges, they were accused of forcibly changing the constitutional order and seizing state power. They were threatened with life imprisonment if they did not confess, which neither of the two young communists did. They were first accused of allegedly planning an action to occupy a district administration in kyiv. Later, an attempt was made to place weapons on them. In none of the cases, however, was the prosecution able to provide more specific details of the alleged crimes.

The criminal case against the Kononovich brothers was fabricated on February 1. Even before the trial, the Ukrainian special services forced them to confess guilt under Article 109(1) and 2(2) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (actions aimed at forcible change of the constitutional system or seizure of state power). They threatened them that if they refused to serve ten years, they would go to prison for life. The brothers refused, saying they were innocent and had nothing to confess.

Among other things, the indictment referred to Facebook posts from 2019 to 2021, in which, for example, the crimes of the Kiev government in the Donbass were pointed out.

The author of “sb.by”, Lyudmila Gladkaya, suspects that the prosecution and the court simply cannot present any verifiable violations of the law and therefore have to backtrack on certain aspects. For example, in several court sessions, announced prosecution witnesses simply did not show up.

In addition, there have been protests against the arrest and trial and demands for the release of Komsomol members in many countries around the world.

«sb.by» reports that Mikhail Kononovich stated that the transformation from pre-trial detention to house arrest was highly unexpected. They found themselves in front of the court building with his lawyer, practically without keys or winter clothes. House arrest, combined with the use of an electronic anklet, prevents them from looking for work, although documentation has not been withheld so far.

It should be remembered that the Kononovich brothers disappeared in Kiev on March 3, 2022. They had been persecuted by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). Almost two months after their disappearance, it was learned (from people who had been released) that the brothers had been detained by Ukrainian nationalists. For several days they beat them until they were half dead, they broke their ribs, smashed their faces… They took a long time to let a doctor in, so as not to record their injuries. The arrest itself was not registered until March 5.

In addition, their belongings were stolen: bank cards with $5,000, telephones, watches, even personal… All of this was allegedly removed during the arrest and is not reflected in the case file. And there is no record of the seized objects either.

The next court hearing is scheduled for December 14. They continue to face trumped up and politically motivated charges.