While two later returned, Abroskin, Zinchenko, and Yanishevskiy remain out of reach from Ukrainian prosecutors, prompting political infighting and torpedoing hopes for an imminent conclusion.
Yevhenia Zakrevska, a lawyer for a group of plaintiffs in the case, blames the Ukrainian leadership particularly President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for letting the Berkut officers slip away and showing weakness before Russia. This was a terrible insult to justice, Zakrevska said in written comments.
Further complicating the situation is that current legislation is murky when it comes to prosecuting people in absentia, so while Tamtura s and Marynchenko s fate could be determined by a court this year, proceedings against the other three remain frozen.