Free Hetman by Alex Shaw

with Ukrainian television Aidan?
    Snow smiled. “This is one of those channels that Alistair pays extra for.”
    “I do not.” Vickers folded his arms.
    Blazhevich smirked. “So I’ve come to give you an update.”
    Vickers grabbed the TV remote and switched the machine off. “Have a seat.”
    Blazhevich took an arm chair whilst Snow made room for his host. It was eleven a.m. Monday morning and Snow had spent the night at Vickers flat, giving Brian and Katya space to ‘catch up’.
    “Of the six men that we have in custody four have thus far provided us with intelligence regarding the ‘activities’ of Deputy Imyets.”
    “Do you have enough to bring formal charges?” Vickers asked.
    “That is not an easy question to answer. We have the testimony of men who claim to take orders from Imyets but they are serving members of the Militia. I have agents looking into their claims and until we find anything concrete it is still their word against his.”
    “What about Kopylenko?” Snow asked.
    “He acted under his own authority when he abducted Brian and held you.”
    “But Imyets ordered us done away with.”
    “True, but again it is his word and the word of those present against yours. In ‘the west’ perhaps things are easier and the rule of law prevails but I am afraid that in Ukraine ‘Krisha’ is everything. Imyets is protected by the President who in turn ‘owns’ the prosecutor’s office. So unless we have a smoking gun and someone who will testify that they saw Imyets pull the trigger we are ‘pissing into the wind’.”
    “And of course Vitaly if you share these same thoughts with the wrong people you may yourself be arrested for ‘slandering the President’.”
    “You are right Alistair; our new laws get sillier and sillier every day.”
    “So what is to be done?” Snow now asked.
    “The prisoners we have will be prosecuted on corruption charges unless they can come up with verifiable evidence against Imyets. The investigation will continue however I am sure Imyets will wash his hands of those men we have.”
    “What about Varchenko?”
    Blazhevich let out a sigh. “Dudka has made it clear that the SBU is to not investigate or put any surveillance on Varchenko. This again makes me wonder what the General is doing with Imyets.” Secretly Blazhevich also wondered if Dudka was holding back information from him but this was not something he wished to discuss with anyone.
    “Vitaly, I’m sorry if I messed up your investigation.”
    “Aidan, you didn’t mess it up. Shook it up perhaps, and perhaps we shall see if anything falls. So now that you have saved Webb what next?”
    “Drinks.”
     
    Podil district, Kyiv
    The small tented bar in Kyiv’s Podil district was a favourite of Michael Jones. He let out a trail of smoke from his cigarette as he lazily stared at the cleavage of their waitress. “Great place, eh Aidan? Great place.”
    “Yep.” Snow drank hungrily from his half litre beer glass. It was his first of the day and he had some catching up to do.
    Jones’ eyes followed the woman as she returned to the bar. “What more could you ask for? Great beer, great tits.”
    “Michael.” Katya wagged her finger at the Welshman. “What would Ina say?”
    “Oh, she would agree. She also likes tits.”
    Snow snorted into his beer. He had been away yet nothing had changed. His friends were still the same, and even though many bars had been renamed Kyiv was still Kyiv.
    Webb raised his glass. “I would just like to say a toast to friendship, for without it we are all truly fucked!”
    Katya nudged him in the belly. Snow and Michael both raised their glasses. “Fucked”
    “Your friend Vitaly spoke to me today.” Webb stated matter of fact. “He says that Kopylenko is now being very co-operative and wants to grant us permission to take Ana to the UK.”
    “That’s good news.”
    “True but in return he wants me not to give evidence against him.”
    Snow raised his eyebrows.