Drunken Ukrainian intel operatives beat general – media

The victim had reportedly scolded the alleged assailants for their loud behavior in a restaurant, which triggered the conflict

A Ukrainian intelligence service (SBU) general was assaulted by his colleagues after a drunken brawl in a restaurant, local media have reported.

According to media outlet Strana, citing its police sources, the head of a local SBU counter-intelligence department Andrey Panarin and his subordinates were enjoying a restaurant in the city of Uzhgorod. Their colleague, SBU general Viktor Mikulin, happened to be in the same eatery at the time, meeting with a Ukrainian lawmaker’s aide and representatives of an unnamed European organization.

Mikulin reportedly scolded the drunken group for their loud behavior – something the SBU operatives did not take lightly. Panarin’s men began pummeling the general, the media outlet claimed.

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The counterintelligence officers then allegedly drove Mikulin to a forest, where he was subjected to further beatings, which cost him a few teeth.

At the end of the ordeal, the assailants took the general’s iPhone 14, Strana reported.

According to its report, the lawmaker’s aide present in the restaurant informed the police.

The anonymous source told reporters that the counter-intelligence operatives at the center of the story have been placed in pre-trial detention, with a criminal probe launched into their actions.

A local journalist confirmed to Strana that the incident did occur, sharing a photo allegedly depicting a beaten-up Mikulin.