A Yunarmiya organizer in the Kherson region has been placed on the wanted list

The court imposed a preventive measure on a man suspected of voluntarily collaborating with the occupying authorities, organizing a “Yunarmiya” cell in the Kherson region, and participating in hostilities on the side of the Russian Federation. 

According to the ruling of the Central District Court of Mykolaiv, he served as a “deputy” and “deputy chairman” of an illegal occupation body in Kalanchak. He remained in that position until October 25, 2024.

Investigators believe that he organized a district branch of the Russian military children’s and youth movement “Yunarmiya” and recruited local children into it. The children were drawn into the Russian military-political sphere and required to wear Russian uniforms and insignia.

One of the witnesses stated that while serving in the occupation structure, the man engaged in pro-Russian propaganda. According to her, the children were forced to wear Russian uniforms and symbols.

In addition to his work in the occupation authority, investigators accuse the man of voluntarily joining Russian armed formations. According to the case file, he signed a contract for military service, participated in combat operations against the Ukrainian Defense Forces alongside militants from the occupied part of Luhansk Oblast, and was wounded. Additionally, according to witness testimony, he displayed weapons, threatened local residents, and boasted about his status within the occupation structures.

According to law enforcement, the man was awarded a medal by the head of the occupation administration of the Kherson region for his participation in the so-called “special military operation.” The court noted that the suspicion is corroborated, in particular, by materials from an analysis of Russian propaganda sources, documents from the occupation authorities, and witness testimony.

In August 2026, the man was notified of the charges against him and placed on the wanted list. The judge ordered that the man be remanded in custody. 

The judge also ordered the seizure of land plots in the Kherson region, a residential house, a trailer, and a motorcycle belonging to the suspect. 

According to the Europrostir website, the occupiers initially removed him from the Kalanchak community council, but soon reversed their decision. At the start of the occupation, he served as the Gauleiter of the village of Shchaslyve. Until 2016, he traveled to Russia for work, and since 2021, he has worked as a maintenance supervisor at a local school.

During his service in the Russian army, he went by the call sign “Utyuzhok.” The President of the Russian Federation awarded him the First-Class Medal “For Bravery.” Under the occupation, he also became a student at the illegally established “Kherson Pedagogical University.” He also headed the illegal “Unified Duty and Dispatch Service,” created by the occupying authorities in Kalanchak.

Additionally, following the occupation of the Kherson region, a foreign literature teacher, , became the head of a school established by the Russian occupying authorities. A man who criticized her collaboration with the occupiers was later taken to a torture chamber.

Анна Літман