A Russian propagandist was arrested for robbing a television and radio company in Kherson

A pretrial measure has been imposed on Russian propagandist Roman Hnatiuk, who worked for Kremlin propaganda during the occupation of the Kherson region. He is accused of collaborating with the aggressor state, justifying the occupation, and involvement in the looting of “Suspilne. Kherson.”

This was reported by the Center for Public Investigations.

According to the investigation, in March 2022, Hnatiukbegan collaborating with the occupying authorities and, as a correspondent for the Russian publication Ukraina.ru—part of the “Rossiya Segodnya” media group—produced content in support of the occupation of the Kherson region. Law enforcement officials claim that in his reports, he justified Russia’s aggression, discredited Ukraine, spread pro-Russian narratives, and referred to the occupation as the region’s “reunification” with Russia.

The investigation established that from March 2022 to June 2025, he regularly worked in the temporarily occupied territory of the Kherson region. Among the evidence is a report from the seized Kherson Machine-Building Plant, where the journalist used the propaganda term “special operation” and blamed Ukraine for the plant’s decline. 

Further evidence includes publications about his teaching at the “War Correspondent School” and awards he received for his work on the front lines and in the so-called “liberated territories.”

Hnatiuk was formally charged on June 13, 2026. According to the investigation, he is currently in Moscow.

The evidence also includes materials documenting his presence in the ransacked “Suspilne. Kherson” building. According to media reports, he participated in discrediting the broadcaster, shutting down Ukrainian television broadcasts in the Kherson region, and filming reports on the reconfiguration of the TV tower to broadcast Russian television channels.

The court remanded Hnatiuk in custody in absentia without the right to bail. Following his arrest, the issue of preventive measures must be reconsidered within 48 hours.

Also in June, Tetyana Levandovska, a former TV host from Kherson, was sentenced in absentia to 10 years in prison for collaborating with the occupiers. She headed the “information department” during the occupation.

Анна Бальчінос