Former SBU Official Volodymyr Liapkin Suspected of Collaboration in Crimea

A former SBU official in Crimea was suspected of collaboration, in particular, of cooperation with the FSB. The investigation believes that he voluntarily joined an illegal armed group that was engaged in repressions in the Kherson region.

The relevant document was published on the website of the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine.

Volodymyr Liapkin, the former head of the SBU Operational Documentation Department in Sevastopol, is suspected in absentia of collaborating with the occupation authorities. He is accused of crimes under Part 7 of Article 111-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

According to the investigation, Lyapkin, a native of Kirovohrad region, a Donetsk resident with the call sign "Batyi", voluntarily became the deputy head of the so-called State Security Service, which the occupiers created in the seized building of the Kherson Economic Court. This illegal law enforcement agency has effectively usurped the authority of Ukraine in the occupied territories.

This structure, controlled by the FSB, organized the abduction, torture and murder of civilians in the region. It is currently registered in Genichesk.

Having received the rank of major general and a salary of 21 thousand Russian rubles, Lyapkin performed leadership functions in the illegal law enforcement agency from May 2022 to September 2024. He organized the implementation of the occupation policy of the Russian Federation, controlled administrative, military and economic processes in the occupied territories, suppressed any manifestations of resistance, persecuted the local population with pro-Ukrainian views and used repression.

Prior to his betrayal, Lyapkin held a senior position in the SBU, and in 2021 he headed a food supply organization created under Russian control.

For his crimes, he faces up to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property.

Also, a former member of the Verkhovna Rada of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison for treason and facilitating the violation of the territorial integrity of Ukraine. He supported the occupation of the peninsula, voted for the so-called "referendum" and was appointed to a position in the occupation administration, which is why he is wanted.

Recently, Ukrainian special services have collected evidence against a former official who became a minister after the annexation of Crimea and forced local residents to pay taxes to the Russian budget. According to the investigation, until 2014, he worked for the State Tax Service of Ukraine, but after the occupation of the region he voluntarily went over to the side of the occupiers.

Анна Бальчінос