Based on evidence gathered by counter-intelligence officers and investigators from the Security Service of Ukraine, a collaborator who served in the occupying “Russian Interior Ministry” in the temporarily occupied territory of Zaporizhzhia region has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.
SBU officers detained him in February 2024 in Lviv. The man had secretly travelled there to see relatives, intending to later flee to the European Union.
The convicted man is a resident of Vasylivka district in Zaporizhzhia region. In June 2022, he joined a local “Russian police” unit set up by the Russian occupiers, where he was appointed “district officer for the juvenile affairs department”.
While holding this “post”, the man took part in abductions and the persecution of local residents. The criminal actions were carried out under the guise of “searches” and other “investigative actions” as part of fabricated criminal cases.
According to the SBU, the primary targets of such raids were Ukrainian citizens who resisted the Russian occupation administration.
In addition, the collaborator guarded occupation “election commissions” during the sham referendum on the region’s “accession” to Russia.
Later, the man arrived in Ukrainian-controlled territory to prepare to flee to one of the European countries, where he hoped to evade justice.
On the basis of evidence collected by the SBU, the court found him guilty under Part 7 of Article 111-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — collaborationist activity. He was sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment with confiscation of property.
The investigation was conducted by SBU counter-intelligence officers in Lviv region together with SBU investigators in Zaporizhzhia region, under the procedural supervision of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Prosecutor’s Office.