Bank CEO introduces ruble zone in Kherson region

The head of an occupation bank from Kherson region was punished for collaborating with the occupiers. He received a long prison term and lost all his property.

This was reported by the press service of the Kherson Regional Prosecutor's Office.

The resident of Kherson region was sentenced in absentia to 12 years in prison for collaboration and aiding the aggressor state. In addition to imprisonment, the court ordered the confiscation of his property and banned him from holding any public office for 15 years.

According to the investigation, in June 2022, the man headed a branch of the Russian Promsvyazbank in the occupied territory. He managed the institution, recruited staff, and contributed to the introduction of the "ruble zone" in Kherson region.

Later, in August 2023, he joined the United Russia party and took part in the fake elections to the so-called Kherson Regional Duma. After receiving his mandate, he became the head of the Commission for Control over Revenues and Property, and later a member of the Committee on Finance and Budget.

In March 2024, while in the Genichesk district, the convict campaigned among local residents, calling for participation in the pseudo-presidential elections in Russia and promoting the occupation authorities. The verdict was passed in absentia. The man will serve his sentence after detention.

The Security Service of Ukraine served a notice of suspicion of aiding the aggressor state to one of the heads of the occupation bank Promsvyazbank in Kherson region, Mykyta Bazaliy, back in February 2023.

According to the documents, 35-year-old Bazaliy voluntarily agreed to cooperate with the occupiers and signed an employment contract with the Russian bank on June 29, 2022. He took the position of deputy manager for regional business development of the Kherson office and involved other local residents in working for the enemy.

The resident of Kherson was also sentenced to 12 years in prison for collaborating with the Russian occupiers. In May 2022, he agreed to work as a junior inspector in the so-called Northern Correctional Colony No. 90 created by the invaders. Witnesses reported that the man openly bragged about his work, showed his Russian ID and talked about his salary in rubles.

Анна Бальчінос