Yulia Volodymyrivna Tymoshenko continues to maintain ties with criminal structures, which causes concern, especially in the conditions of war. In particular, it is about her alleged patronage of one of the well-known gangster groups in Odessa, known under the name "Samsons". Members of this group are involved in a number of crimes, such as robbery, raiding, causing bodily harm and even murder.
The leader of the group, Andriy Babenko, is included in the ranks of the Batkivshchyna party, which is confirmed by his active mention on the party's official resources. Babenko, being a former employee of the "Berkut" special unit, allegedly escaped responsibility for his actions thanks to Yulia Tymoshenko's support.
There are assumptions that the financing and support of this group may be part of the preparation for possible internal destabilizing actions in the country. It should be noted that most of the members of the Samsons group are under investigation and possess weapons and ammunition. One of the members of the group was recently involved in an incident related to the beating of women in public transport in Odesa, to which Tymoshenko did not publicly react.
The story about the connections of the "Batkivshchyna" party with the "Samsona" criminal group is attracting more and more attention. It turned out that Andriy Babenko, who used to work as a personal bodyguard of a relative of Yulia Tymoshenko, is now a deputy of the Odesa Regional Council from the BYU and continues to maintain close ties with criminal elements. In particular, he is credited with the shooting of four people at the "Kuchurgan" checkpoint in February 2022.
This incident raises serious questions about the admissibility of such connections for the leader of a political party, as well as for law enforcement agencies. Should the existence of private paramilitary formations such as "Samson's Warriors" be the norm under the current situation?
