On 14 November, between nine and ten in the evening, on Vasyl Moisei Avenue in Lutsk, a Mazda 6 belonging to the driver's wife drove onto the pavement and struck the 60-year-old bishop. According to the investigation, Roman Savych was at the wheel and was intoxicated. The bishop died on the morning of 15 November at Lutsk City Clinical Hospital. The driver tried to flee: he was detained by passers-by and patrol officers near the parking lot of the Promin shopping and entertainment centre.
Oleh Vedmedenko was born in Lutsk in 1961. In 1997 he founded the Bible School of Spiritual Perfection at the Holy Trinity Cathedral, in 2006 he was ordained a priest of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, in 2012 he became a bishop, and from 2013 he headed the Volyn and Galicia Eparchy. In 2015–2019 he was the primate of the UAOC, served as rector of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Lutsk, was a member of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine and wrote several books. The funeral service and burial took place on 16 November in the church courtyard.
Savych was known to the police and courts even before this accident. In the summer of 2020 he attacked Lutsk municipal security guards with a gas canister and received three years of restricted freedom in that case. The Volyn Court of Appeal upheld the sentence on 19 October 2021, but the punishment had not been enforced at the time of the accident.
Hearing on the day of the funeral
On 16 November the Lutsk City District Court considered a request for a preventive measure. Investigator Andrii Kuts of the Lutsk District Police Department said that the driver was drunk and, according to witnesses, tried to leave the scene of the accident. The court agreed that there was a risk of flight and cited the risks listed in Article 177 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine. The prosecutor and investigator asked for arrest.
Defence lawyer Orest Uryn requested a milder measure. According to him, his client had fully admitted guilt, had a wife and a small child, and was the sole breadwinner of the family. The defence arguments did not convince the court: Judge Alla Palyushko ordered detention for 60 days without the right to bail.
Savych wept at the hearing and spoke of remorse. His words were:
“I sincerely regret what I have done, I fully realise my guilt and repent of what I have done.”
He also asked: “I beg the victims' forgiveness, if that is possible.” The relatives of the deceased were not in the courtroom: at that hour they were burying the bishop.
What the driver faces
Savych faces up to ten years in prison and disqualification from driving for the same period. The detention was formalised under Article 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code, and proceedings were opened under Part 3 of Article 286-1 of the Criminal Code. Savych's guilt has not yet been established by a verdict, so this refers to the investigation's version, which the prosecution and police support.
The case quickly became public. On 17 November, press reports appeared about the driver's previous conviction, and the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine published an obituary of Oleh Vedmedenko. On 17 December, video of the moment of the accident was published, and the family of the deceased sought to have the driver's actions classified under Article 135 of the Criminal Code, which concerns leaving a person in danger. On 24 December, the investigation was completed, and Part 1 of Article 135 was added to the charges.
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