Blogger who picketed Kyiv Caves Lavra arrested for drunk driving accident

Koshelnyk near the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, spring 2023. Photo: Pershyi Kozatskyi

Denys Koshelnyk, a blogger known as one of the most aggressive provocateurs near the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, has been detained following a drunk driving incident and attempted escape from police in Kyiv, according to UNIAN.

On July 23, 2025, while driving a Toyota Sequoia on Mykhaila Boichuka Street, Koshelnyk ran a red light and crashed into another vehicle. Police officers who arrived on the scene noted clear signs of alcohol intoxication.

During their interaction, Koshelnyk behaved aggressively and attempted to strike an officer. He was handcuffed but nevertheless managed to flee the scene. He was later apprehended by security staff at the Gulliver shopping mall.

The following administrative protocols were drawn up against him:

• Protocol of administrative detention;
• Article 124 of the Code of Administrative Offenses (traffic accident);
• Article 122-4 (running a red light);
• Part 4 of Article 130 (driving under the influence – punishable by a fine of up to ₴34,000 and license suspension for up to 3 years);
• Article 185 (willful disobedience to police orders).

It was also revealed that Koshelnyk had been declared wanted since April 10 for evading military service. After his arrest, he was handed over to the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI).

Media outlets recall that this is not his first offense: he previously used fake license plates, faked an illness to avoid conscription, and actively attempted to discredit the work of law enforcement. Investigators are now examining all the circumstances of the incident and other activities linked to him.

Koshelnyk’s former wife, Anna Pavlovna, earlier accused him of misappropriating funds raised for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to her, he lost the donated money in gambling machines and subjected her to physical and emotional abuse.

Orthodox Christians remember him for his active role in provocations near the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra in spring 2023. He was known for filming staged reports with hired actors in an attempt to discredit the monastery’s monastics.

As the UOJ previously reported, the coordinator of provocations at the Lavra faces up to six years in prison for a drug-related traffic accident.

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