Court fines Kherson resident for helping Russian military

During the occupation of a village in the Kherson region, a local resident not only served the Russian military but also helped them with accommodation in other people's homes. She was found guilty and sentenced to a term of imprisonment with confiscation of property.

This is evidenced by the verdict of the Velyko Oleksandrivskyi District Court of Kherson Oblast.

As the court found, from March to early October 2022, the village of Nova Kamianka, Beryslav district, was occupied by Russian troops. During this period, a local resident voluntarily opened a store and systematically provided food and household services to the soldiers of the 22nd Army Corps of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, who set up their base in the village and fired from there at settlements in the Kherson region. The Russian soldiers took some of the goods for free, and the woman did not interfere with this.

For her cooperation with the occupiers, the woman received privileged treatment: she could move freely through the occupied territory with the military and enjoyed their protection and support among her fellow villagers.

In addition, the accused organized the occupiers' accommodation in private homes. In particular, she took the keys to her fellow villager's house and transferred the house to the Russian military without the owner's consent. She also provided a house that belonged to her parents for the Russian soldiers to live in.

According to the case file, the woman maintained constant contact with the Russian military, traveled with them, enjoyed their protection and was able to travel freely through the occupied territory and beyond. The investigation emphasized that she performed all these actions without coercion or threats, on her own initiative.

The defendant fully admitted her guilt and expressed remorse. She explained that she had moved Russian soldiers into other people's homes, allegedly for reasons of property preservation, and also maintained friendly relations with one of the soldiers for her own safety. This, she said, gave her certain advantages in moving around the village and beyond.

The court imposed a fine of UAH 136,000 with confiscation of all property and banned her from engaging in service-related activities for 12 years.

The woman was notified of the suspicion in September 2025, when she was living as an internally displaced person in Vinnytsia region after the de-occupation of the village. She spent three months in a pre-trial detention center, and after the verdict was passed, the court released her from custody.

Also in December, an entrepreneur from the occupied Crimea was found guilty of long-term cooperation with the occupation authorities and supplying equipment to the temporarily occupied Kherson region. According to the investigation, she carried out business activities through the Russian public procurement system and acted in favor of the aggressor country.

Анна Бальчінос