A former postman became a police officer of the occupiers in Kherson region

After the occupation of the Kherson region, a former bartender and postal worker from Lazurne put on a Russian police uniform and began to come to his native village with weapons. In court, witnesses told how the man participated in searches and boasted of his salary in the occupation police.

This is stated in the verdict of the Velyko Oleksandrivskyi District Court.

According to the case file, after the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, the man voluntarily agreed to work in an illegal law enforcement agency created by the occupation authorities in the occupied territory of Kherson region. In July 2022, he took up the position of the so-called "acting head of the convoy department" in the "Skadovsk District Police Department" of the occupation "Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kherson Region".

Witnesses in court said that after the occupation, the man began to appear in a Russian police uniform with weapons. He came to Lazurne in a company car, participated in searches of local residents and openly demonstrated his service to the occupation authorities.

One of the witnesses noted that the man in uniform came to the village and even boasted of his high salary. Another witness said that before the full-scale war, the man worked at Nova Poshta and as a bartender in a cafe. In the summer of 2022, he started wearing a Russian police uniform.

The woman repeatedly saw him in the village with other occupation police officers. According to her, they entered the store where she worked and threatened her.

Another woman also confirmed that she often saw him in the store in uniform. According to her, it was clear from his behavior that he had voluntarily agreed to serve and was even proud of his new uniform.

Local residents also reported that before the war, the accused worked as a bartender and at the post office, but in the summer of 2022 he began serving in the Russian police in Skadovsk and did not hide it.

Since the defendant is in hiding, the case was considered under the procedure of special court proceedings in absentia. He was found guilty and sentenced to 15 years in prison with confiscation of all property. The sentence will be counted from the moment of actual detention.

Also, Tatiana Yermochenko, a resident of Kherson region, who went to work for the occupation police of the Russian Federation, was sentenced to 15 years in prison. The accused was reviewing materials on alleged illegal drug possession, forgery, theft of property and opened "criminal cases" under the legislation of the Russian Federation.

Анна Бальчінос