A fictional hero of Ukraine: Sternenko is an intelligence agent and a suspect in criminal cases

Odesa activist and volunteer Serhii Sternenko, a figure frequently involved in high-profile scandals, has become the subject of a new investigation.

According to Ukrainian journalist Volodymyr Boiko, who is currently serving in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Sternenko is a long-standing agent of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), and a recent “assassination attempt” on him was nothing more than a carefully orchestrated staged operation by the intelligence agency.

Boiko shared this information on his Facebook page.

The journalist claimed that Sternenko’s cooperation with the SBU began well before 2017. However, in that year, he was expelled from both the Odesa branch of Right Sector and the Department for the Protection of National Statehood (DPND) of the SBU. The alleged reason: Sternenko attempted to acquire a fake combatant ID.

His personal life has also drawn attention. According to Boiko, his ex-girlfriend played a key role in his removal from the SBU. Later, Sternenko was allegedly linked to Natalia Usatenko, spokesperson for former Health Minister Ulana Suprun. Through her, he allegedly gained access to the U.S. Embassy.

More serious accusations involve Sternenko’s involvement in the death of a man in May 2018. He fatally wounded the man, later claiming he was attacked. Though the incident was officially treated as self-defense, many questions remain. In 2021, Sternenko was convicted of kidnapping, though the verdict was later partially overturned.

Boiko claims that since then, Sternenko resumed working with the SBU—specifically with Department “M”, which monitors the media sphere, including bloggers, journalists, and TikTokers. His reported handler is Andriy Salenkov, the head of counterintelligence operations at the DPND.

Among other things, Boiko alleges that the SBU staged the assassination attempt to create a “martyr’s image” for Sternenko—particularly important given his rumored plans to run for the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament).

“Sternenko has no combat record, hasn’t been wounded, and was even wanted by the draft office for evading mobilization. But now he’ll have the status of a ‘hero’ who survived an assassination attempt,” Boiko claims.

The sheer number of accusations—including alleged murder, staged crimes, and deep involvement with intelligence agencies—casts doubt on both Sternenko’s public image as an “activist” and the transparency of his actions. Sternenko, for his part, denies all accusations, calling them politically motivated.