Director of the Kherson Art Museum under occupation was sentenced to 12 years

The pseudo-director of a museum in Kherson was sentenced in absentia to 12 years in prison. The court also ordered the confiscation of her property and banned her from holding public office.

This was reported by Kavun.City with reference to the court verdict.

The Kherson City Court found Natalia Desyatova, a former singer who headed the Kherson Regional Art Museum named after Shovkunenko during the Russian occupation by appointment of the occupation administration, guilty of collaboration . The verdict was handed down on April 21, 2025, in absentia, as Desyatova is in the temporarily occupied territory and is avoiding justice.

The investigation established that Desyatova voluntarily agreed to head the museum after the capture of Kherson, actively cooperated with the occupiers, publicly supported the region's accession to the Russian Federation, spoke in Russian media and organized exhibitions with propaganda titles such as "Kaliningrad-Kherson: Forever Together." In interviews, she referred to Russia as "our family" and accused the Ukrainian authorities of "squeezing out culture."

According to the experts, her statements contributed to the anti-Ukrainian campaign of the Russian Federation and harmed the information security of the state. The court did not see any signs of coercion or pressure - Desyatova acted consciously and convincingly. Before the occupation, she had nothing to do with the museum - she worked as a singer in a local cafe.

The court found that Desyatova was outside the territory controlled by Ukraine, was a fugitive from justice, and was put on the international wanted list. She was sentenced in absentia to 12 years in prison, followed by a 15-year ban on holding public office and confiscation of all property. In particular, four apartments were seized. The woman also has to reimburse more than 22 thousand hryvnias for the costs of the examinations.

Also, 55-year-old Andriy Kharytonov, the former director of the seized Kherson seaport, was convicted in the absence of cooperation. On May 1, 2025, the Kherson City Court found him guilty of collaborating with the Russian occupiers. The court sentenced him to nine years in prison with confiscation of property.

Анна Бальчінос