An Oschadbank teller headed the occupation council in the Kherson region and was sentenced to 9 years in prison

The court handed down a verdict against a former Oschadbank employee who headed the so-called “council of deputies” of the occupied Verkhniy Rohachyk municipal district. She was found guilty of collaboration.

The Novovorontsov District Court of the Kherson region handed down the verdict on August 5. The case involves Valentina Bilanova, a resident of the village of Verkhniy Rogachik .

According to the court, by July 2023, Bilanova had agreed to run for a seat as a deputy from the “United Russia” party in the “elections” organized by the occupiers in the occupied territory. In September 2023, the “election commission” declared her the winner along with 14 other candidates.

Just one month later, in October 2023, Bilanova agreed to head this “council of deputies.” In this role, she signed documents, convened meetings, and registered the “council” as a legal entity in the Russian Federation’s registry—listing herself as its head.

Witnesses who knew Bilanova personally testified in court—they identified themselves as her fellow villagers. According to them, prior to the full-scale invasion, she worked as a teller at Oschadbank, and after the occupation of Verkhniy Rogachik, she headed the local occupation “administration.”

The witnesses were also asked to identify Bilanova in photographs. All three confirmed that this was the woman who, during the occupation, served as a deputy for “United Russia” and as chair of the district’s “Council of Deputies.”

Investigators found a post on an occupation Telegram channel in which Bilanova was quotedduringthe so-called“vote.” In the original language, she said: “All colleagues and residents of the district have come to cast their vote for the future of Russia. This is very important for people because they are choosing their own destiny.”

In other posts examined by the court, Bilanova is shown congratulating postal workers on their professional holiday and laying flowers at a monument on Victory Day alongside deputies from “United Russia.”

The defense attorney appointed by the court to represent the woman (who did not attend the hearings herself) requested that a decision be made based on the available written evidence.

The court found the woman guilty on two counts under the Criminal Code—for collaboration and for the same offense committed as part of a group.

She was ultimately sentenced to 9 years in prison. Additionally, Bilanova was barred from holding public office or participating in elections for another 14 years. The court ordered the confiscation of all her property.

The woman was tried in absentia—she is in hiding in territory controlled by the Russian Federation. The pretrial detention order was upheld. 

Ірина Глухова