A Kherson resident was taken into custody for posts about Russia's "liberation"

In Mykolaiv, a woman from Kherson was placed under house arrest for posting on social media messages in which she portrayed Russia’s invasion as a “liberation” and accused Ukrainian military personnel of crimes.

This is stated in a ruling by an investigating judge of the Mykolaiv Central District Court.

According to the investigation, from March 28, 2022, to January 1, 2023, the woman was in the temporarily occupied city of Kherson. There, she shared content on social media that, according to the investigation, justifies Russia’s aggression.

On Facebook, she shared two posts in Russian. One describes an alleged massacre of Russian soldiers by Ukrainians near Kharkiv. The second is a lengthy text about the war, and it is this one that is most revealing.

The court quotes it almost in its entirety. In it, the Russian invasion is portrayed as a rescue mission.

“They have begun to save and liberate the Donbas,” the post reads. The author accuses Ukrainian volunteer battalions and the Armed Forces of Ukraine of war crimes. He reproaches Ukrainians who ask why Russia is shelling their cities, saying they have “closed their eyes and ears.” The text concludes: “You still haven’t understood what Russia came to save you from, ” the post states.

The woman shared the third post on January 1, 2023, on the social network “Odnoklassniki,” which is banned in Ukraine, and marked it with the “cool” button. In it, Ukrainians are accused of cowardice, and Crimea and Donbas are contrasted with the rest of the country.

The woman was notified of the charges on October 22, 2026, under Parts 2 and 3 of Article 436-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Part 3 pertains to serious crimes and carries a sentence of 5 to 8 years in prison.

The investigator and prosecutor requested house arrest, and the court agreed with the risks they cited. Among them was the risk that the suspect would go into hiding, influence witnesses, or continue to publish similar texts. The court noted that the woman “holds clearly anti-Ukrainian political views,” as stated in the ruling.

It also took into account that she holds a Russian passport, has relatives in Russia, lives alone near the occupied territories, and is not officially employed.

At the same time, the court acknowledged that the woman had not traveled to the occupied territory and appeared in court upon the first summons. The suspect did not object to the investigation’s motion.

Until December 22, she is prohibited from leaving her home between 8:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., from traveling outside Kherson, and must surrender her passport. 

Ірина Глухова