What is known about the murdered Demian Hanula and how he was remembered
14 March 16:10
A 31-year-old activist and volunteer Demian Hanul was killed in Odesa. The man was shot in broad daylight in the city. The police confirmed the murder. Law enforcement officers already have a photo of the suspect in this crime.
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko took the death of Hanul under his personal control.
He said that the National Police has formed an investigative team of the best specialists to investigate the tragedy, who have already left for Odesa. A National Police regiment has also been sent to the city.
“I am taking personal control over the investigation and solving of this crime,” Klymenko said in the Verkhovna Rada, answering a question from Odesa MP Oleksiy Honcharenko.
The Siren interception plan is also actively operating in the city.
Read more about the life and work of Demian Hanul in Komersant ukrainskyi.
Demian Hanul was a Ukrainian public figure, volunteer, blogger, animal rights activist, and environmentalist. He was also the founder and leader of the NGO Street Front, and actively participated in the Revolution of Dignity and the confrontation with pro-Russian forces in Odesa on May 2, 2014.
Demian Vadymovych Hanul was born on October 6, 1993 in the village of Novoselytsia, Kirovohrad region. He became known for his active social work, participation in the Revolution of Dignity and the fight against pro-Russian forces in Odesa. From 2014 to 2016, he was the head of the Right Sector’s power bloc in Odesa, and later became the founder and leader of the Street Front NGO.
Hanul has repeatedly initiated actions against illegal construction, helped to return the Summer Theater in Odesa to the community, and advocated for the dismantling of monuments to Soviet figures. He actively supported volunteer activities, helping the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Decommunization and the fight against pro-Russian forces
The activist has repeatedly advocated the demolition of Soviet monuments. For example, in March 2022, a monument to the Chekists was dismantled in the village of Fontanka, Odesa region. In July of the same year, Hanul initiated a petition to dismantle the monument to Suvorov in Odesa. Despite the insufficient number of signatures, the petition attracted public attention, and the local authorities decided to dismantle the monument, which took place on December 29, 2022.
In addition, in November 2021, Hanul organized a rally near the Russian consulate in Odesa, where he brought a coffin with the inscriptions “Cargo 200” and “Russians are going home.” In 2022, under his initiative, patriotic graffiti appeared on the walls of the former consulate.
Attacks on the activist
Demian Hanul has repeatedly been the target of attacks. In 2020, his BMW X5 car was set on fire at a service station, and unknown persons fired at his car near the village of Vyzyrka. In the same year, his car was smashed with bats.
on May 4, 2023, in Odesa, Ganul was attacked by unidentified men in military uniforms. This incident caused a wide public outcry, and the police opened a criminal investigation into the attack.
In addition, the military command launched an internal investigation into the alleged involvement of military personnel in the attack, but the case was not brought to court.
