Antonenko  brushed off the allegations ‘coming from .. Gerashchenko or Avakov,  from this crowd’.

‘As for my links to the SBU counter intelligence, it is outright lies, 100%. I have never had and still do not have any contacts with intelligence agencies, with exception to the checks [I underwent] when I was joining the Special Operation forces. Everybody is subjected to those,’ explained Antonenko.

He also opened up on  his role with Special Operation forces.

‘Since I am a recruiter and a person who promotes Special Operation forces, I am involved in recruitment of personnel for our unit, and I will tell you this – our applicants undergo a detailed check from the SBU, and they just don’ t know about it, said Anonenko in ‘NV Radio’ inteview.

Commenting his meeting with ‘European Solidarity’ MPs, Antonenko said that it took place at the suggestions from the MPs.

‘They have supported us all this time, and in our lawyers’ words, contributed a lot  to reveal the truth’.

He also denied discussions of Pavlo Sheremet case with Petro Poroshenko.

‘We just said hello to each other, I made no statements, and Petro Oleskiyovych said he was confident that all those involved in fabrication [of the criminal case] would be held accountable’, added Antonenko.

Antonenko comments contradict  the earlier assumptions of  Volodymyr Zelensky who, at his May press conference, did not rule out  involvement of Ukrainian counter intelligence in Pavlo Sheremet murder.