An employee of the drama theater who was on duty at a checkpoint near the Antonivsky Bridge was tried for treason

The court sentenced an employee of the Donetsk Drama Theater who, during the occupation of Kherson, served in the ranks of the illegal armed group “DNR” and was on duty at a checkpoint near the Antonivsky Bridge.

The verdict was handed down by the Chechelivsky District Court of Dnipro.

According to court records, in February 2022, the man was mobilized into the illegal armed group “DNR,” which was part of the Russian forces. He served as a senior rifleman.

From February 27 to September 29, 2022, he was on duty at a Russian checkpoint near the Antonivsky Bridge in Kherson. There, he checked the documents of people and vehicles crossing the bridge. He also participated in the construction of fortifications and dugouts.

After his unit was withdrawn to the left bank of the Dnipro River in the fall of 2022, he was transferred to the Volnovakha District of Donetsk Oblast, where he worked on setting up defensive structures and dugouts.

Over the next few years, he received several promotions—from rifleman to squad leader—and continued to serve at Russian positions near the villages of Mykilsk, Sukhi Yaly, and Piddubne. He received approximately 200,000 rubles in monthly pay.

On May 15, 2026, during a firefight near Piddubne, he was taken prisoner by servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

In court, the man fully admitted his guilt. According to him, before his mobilization, he worked at a drama theater, and after being summoned for “data verification,” he was not allowed to return home.

He explained that he had not surrendered earlier out of fear of “being taken prisoner on charges of propaganda” and because his unit had been stationed far from the front lines for a long time.

The court classified the man’s actions under two parts of Article 111 (treason) and Part 7 of Article 111-1 (collaboration) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

The final sentence is 15 years of imprisonment, with confiscation of property and a 15-year ban on holding positions in government bodies and the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

According to information from IRS-South, the individual in question is Oleg Vitovtov, a 38-year-old employee of the Donetsk Drama Theater.

Ірина Глухова