«She’s a drone operator and can’t attend»: New lawyer in Ladyha case asks court to halt appeal after nearly a year of absence

In the case of Olha Ladyha, accused of a fatal road accident, the lawyer asks to suspend the appeal. Photo: NikVesti

The Mykolaiv Court of Appeal has been unable to consider the case of Olha Ladyha, who ran over a woman to death in 2020, for almost a year.

At a meeting on 29 October, it became known that she had a new defence lawyer, Odesa-based lawyer Iryna Petrushko, a correspondent for NikVesti reports.

Before the hearing began, the lawyer approached the journalists and asked them whether they had requested to participate in the hearing, in particular, whether they had permission to take photos and videos, while the court in Ladyga's case is open and filming with a phone or camera does not require a request.

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The hearing began at 9:30 am. One of the defence counsels, Yurii Titarenko, did not appear in court. Before the start, he filed a motion requesting a postponement. It also became known that lawyer Oleksandr Kurnosenko had withdrawn from the trial. During the year, he attended only a few of them. It was also impossible to contact the victims' representative, Oleksii Rozumovskyi. Olga Ladyha herself also failed to appear in court.

The presiding judge, Olena Farionova, asked the lawyer what she knew about her client. Iryna Petrushko said that Ladyha is currently serving as a UAV operator in the 123rd TRO Brigade and cannot take part in the hearings.

«Yesterday, the defence lawyer filed a motion in connection with the mobilisation of Ladyha to a military unit, as well as in connection with the inability to participate in court hearings due to the specifics of her position, and the representative filed a motion to suspend the proceedings until she is discharged from military service,» Iryna Petrushko addressed the judge.

However, the judge stopped the lawyer, noting that this motion would not be considered at this time due to the absence of the parties to the proceedings.

«We can only consider motions in the presence of all participants. You know that. Are there any obstacles to the consideration of the proceedings in the absence of defence counsel Ladyha Titarenko, the representative of the victim Rozumovskyi?» said Farionova.

«It is at the discretion of the court. We have both victims and one of the defendant's defence lawyers present,» she replied.

The judge asked the prosecutor a similar question. Volodymyr Kuznetsov stressed that in the absence of two participants in the proceedings, the case could not be considered.

The next hearing is scheduled for January 2026.

The case of Olha Ladyha

Olha Ladyha was a famous Ukrainian athlete. Photo: Mykolaiv media

On the evening of 13 March 2020, a Mitsubishi Pajero hit a girl crossing the street on a pedestrian crossing near the «Silpo» supermarket in Mykolaiv, after which the crossover crashed into a Geely Emgrand car. The 32-year-old woman died on the spot from her injuries.

The Mitsubishi Pajero was driven by 25-year-old Olha Ladyha, who, as it turned out, did not have a driver's licence.

In February 2021, Ladyga asked the court to conduct an additional examination of the accident. The prosecution considered this a delay in the process. The court granted the request of the Ukrainian athletics champion.

In November 2021, Mykolaiv media reported that Olha Ladyha had passed her driving licence.

In June 2024, Judge Viacheslav Kuzmenko of the Zavodskyi District Court, after more than four years of consideration of the case, gave the accused Olha Ladyha a two-year suspended sentence. The victim's family disagreed with the decision and appealed.

In November 2024, the appeal proceedings were due to begin. One of her lawyers did not show up for the first hearing, and at the second hearing, it became known that Olha Ladyha had been admitted to hospital. In January 2025, it became known that she had been mobilised into the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In this regard, Ladyha's lawyers asked to suspend the proceedings.

At a court hearing in March, her lawyer, Oleksandr Kurnosenko, assured her that she would definitely appear next time. However, since then, Ladyha has not attended any of the hearings.