A Russian agent was sentenced to life in prison in Kherson

The convicted man’s attempt to have his sentence reduced was unsuccessful. The appeals court upheld the life sentence for a Kherson resident who helped Russian intelligence agencies gather information on Ukrainian military personnel.

This was reported by the press office of the Kherson Regional Prosecutor’s Office.

The Kherson Court of Appeals upheld the sentence of a 51-year-old Kherson resident who had previously been sentenced to life imprisonment for treason.

Prosecutors from the Kherson Regional Prosecutor’s Office demonstrated to the appeals court the validity of the trial court’s decision and insisted on the legality of the imposed sentence.

The investigation established that in June 2023, the man used his personal Telegram account to join several anti-Ukrainian chatbots created by Russian intelligence agencies. Through these channels, he passed on information to his handlers regarding the deployment locations of Ukrainian Armed Forces units and equipment, types of weaponry, and the coordinates of positions from which Ukrainian troops were firing on Russian forces.

According to the prosecutor’s office, Russian troops used some of the coordinates provided to carry out artillery and missile strikes. This posed a real threat to Ukrainian military personnel, law enforcement officers, and civilians in Kherson.

In addition, the defendant reported to the Russian side on the consequences of the shelling and the sociopolitical situation in the city.

The trial court found the man guilty of high treason under Part 2 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and sentenced him to life imprisonment with confiscation of property.

The defense requested that the sentence be reduced to 15 years in prison, but the Kherson Court of Appeals rejected the appeal and upheld the original verdict.

Also in July, a former judge’s assistant, during the occupation of Kherson, gathered information for the FSB on people whom the invaders wanted to intimidate or eliminate. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for treason.

Анна Бальчінос