Boats and the Russian military: what the court found in the case from Kherson

In Odesa, a court sentenced a resident of Kherson who was accused of collaborating with the occupation authorities during the seizure of the city in 2022.

The decision was made by the Khadzhybeyskyi District Court of Odesa on March 16, 2026.

According to the case file, during the occupation of Kherson, the man organized the transportation of civilians by boat across the Dnipro River - between the right bank and the left bank, in particular to Oleshky and Hola Prystan. His boats operated from the territory of the river port, which at that time was controlled by the occupation administration.

At the same time, during the trial, a number of witnesses stated that they had seen the transportation of Russian military personnel. In particular:

• one of the witnesses said that he personally saw 5-6 soldiers with weapons board a boat and cross to the left bank;
• another witness said that the military with the "z" markings boarded the boat after a short conversation with the organizer of the transportation;
• another witness said that in the fall of 2022 he saw a group of about 20 military personnel being transported;
• there were also testimonies about cases when boats were used to move military personnel in the area of the river port and Oleshky.

Some witnesses indicated that such activities were impossible without the permission of the occupation authorities, and that the transporters were forced to cooperate with Russian-controlled structures.

At the same time, other witnesses stated that the defendant mainly transported civilians, and that military personnel could get on the boats without his direct participation or knowledge. The defendant himself denied that he was transporting military personnel in an organized manner and claimed that he was doing it to help people in the absence of other transportation.

The court concluded that the evidence provided did not prove intentional aiding and abetting of the aggressor state. At the same time, it was confirmed that the man conducted economic activities in cooperation with the occupation authorities and provided resources that could be used by representatives of illegal groups.

As a result, the court re-qualified the charges and found him guilty under Part 4 of Article 111-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (collaboration).

He was sentenced to 3 years and 3 months in prison, with a 10-year ban on transportation and confiscation of property.

At the same time, taking into account the period of pre-trial detention, the court recognized the sentence as served and released the man from custody in the courtroom.

According to media reports, the man in question is a Kherson-based carrier Ihor Odarchenko.

Андрій Колісніченко