Former head of a kindergarten from Kherson dreamed of occupation

A former director of a kindergarten in Mykolaiv region was sentenced to 12 years in prison. She actively cooperated with the Russian military and headed the occupation administration.

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

The woman from Kherson, who before the full-scale invasion worked as the head of a kindergarten in the village of Oleksandrivka, Mykolaiv region, voluntarily took up the position of head of the illegal Ivanivka municipal administration after the occupation of Kherson region by Russian troops.

According to the investigation, she was aware of the illegality of her actions, organized the work of the administration and publicly called on local residents to participate in the so-called presidential elections in Russia.

One of the witnesses in court said that after February 24, 2022, the accused first headed the occupation administration of Oleksandrivka, and then moved to the left bank and took a position in Ivanivka. She issued Russian passports for local residents, organized lists for pensions from the occupation authorities, and spoke at holiday rallies calling for support for the occupiers.

Another witness recalled that the defendant actively promoted cooperation with the occupiers from the very beginning: "She said herself: "I dreamed of this".

According to yet another witness, the defendant acted systematically: she gathered locals, held campaign events and participated in all the activities of the occupation authorities. Similar testimony was given by other witnesses, who emphasized that the accused had been distributing humanitarian aid for a long time, while simultaneously performing administrative functions under the control of the Russian Federation.

The court found the woman guilty under Part 5 of Article 111-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - collaboration. She was sentenced to 12 years in prison, her house and land plot were confiscated, and she was banned from holding public office for 15 years.

The SBU also served a notice of suspicion to the former deputy director of a lyceum in the village of Sokolohirne, Henichesk district, who headed the school during the occupation. She actively assisted the aggressor, replaced Ukrainian symbols and burned Ukrainian textbooks.

Анна Бальчінос