Former lawyer of Kherson executive committee is suspected by SBU

A former official of the Kherson City Council came under suspicion by the SBU for cooperating with the occupation authorities. He helped the occupiers manage the agricultural sector of the region.

This is evidenced by the suspicion of the Prosecutor General's Office.

The Security Service of Ukraine in Kherson region has served Vyacheslav Roshchin with a notice of suspicion of collaboration. According to the investigation, this is a voluntary occupation by a citizen of Ukraine of a position related to the performance of organizational, administrative and economic functions in an illegal government body established in the temporarily occupied territory.

The investigation established that in order to control the agro-industrial sector in the occupied part of Kherson region in June 2022, the occupation administration created the so-called "Department of Agro-Industrial Complex", which was reorganized into the "Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries of Kherson Region" in August of the same year.

According to law enforcement officers, Roshchin, being in the temporarily occupied Kherson and aware of the fact of Russia's armed aggression and occupation of part of the region, voluntarily agreed to take up the position of acting deputy "Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries" in the structure of the occupation administration no later than September 14, 2022.

The SBU notes that in this position, he managed the production areas of the illegal body, held meetings with subordinates, gave instructions and monitored their implementation.

According to the Myrotvorets resource, before the full-scale invasion, Vyacheslav Roshchin worked in the executive committee of the Kherson City Council, holding a position related to interaction with law enforcement agencies in the legal department.

According to his 2020 declaration, his main place of work was the executive committee of the Kherson City Council, where he received UAH 267,524 in salary. He also declared 1 thousand hryvnias in financial aid. His wife received a pension of UAH 19,157.

The family owned a 40-square-meter residential building in Kherson, registered in his wife's name. No other real estate, vehicles, monetary assets or financial liabilities are listed in the document. Investigative actions are currently underway. If proven guilty , Roshchin faces the punishment provided for by the sanction of the article.

Also in February, Volodymyr Saldo, who already has a conviction for high treason, was served a new suspicion notice. Along with him, 11 other people associated with the activities of the illegal armed group in the temporarily occupied territory of Kherson region were suspected.

Анна Бальчінос