Head of a kindergarten in Kherson showed children Russian cartoons

The court allowed an investigation against the head of a Kherson kindergarten on suspicion of collaboration with the Russian occupation authorities. She allegedly implemented the educational standards of the aggressor state in the temporarily occupied territory.

This is evidenced by the decision of the Central District Court of Mykolaiv.

In Mykolaiv, the court considered a petition of the SBU investigators in Kherson region to conduct a special pre-trial investigation in criminal proceedings against a person suspected of encroachment on the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine in the temporarily occupied territory of Kherson region.

According to the investigation, before August 2022, the suspect voluntarily took the position of "head" of kindergarten No. 60 in Kherson, which belongs to the city council and operates under Ukrainian educational programs. In this position, she began to implement measures aimed at integrating the institution into the Russian educational system: She translated documents into Russian, replaced Ukrainian symbols with Russian ones, and introduced Russian educational programs for children.

In addition, the head of the institution forced the kindergarten staff to comply with the requirements of the occupation administration: to equip classrooms according to Russian standards, to confiscate Ukrainian educational materials, to transfer resources from other kindergartens to the new institution, and to ensure that staff salaries were paid in Russian rubles. She organized the supply of children's books and educational materials and showed Russian cartoons to children in accordance with the new calendar and thematic plans.

Also, in connection with the so-called "accession" of Kherson region to the Russian Federation, the suspect facilitated the registration of the kindergarten in the Russian Unified State Register of Legal Entities as "Kherson Region State Budgetary Institution "Kindergarten No. 60 of the combined type of Kherson", which confirms her active participation in the implementation of illegal decisions of the occupation administration.

The judge granted the SBU's motion and allowed the special pre-trial investigation to be conducted in absentia, as the suspect is in the temporarily occupied territory and is evading the investigation. Information about her will be entered into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations and published on the official resources of the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine.

The court also seized the apartment and car of a former official of the Kherson Physical and Technical Lyceum, who faces up to 12 years in prison for collaborating with the occupiers. She forced teachers to support the Russian Federation, change their citizenship and use Russian banks and medical institutions by using blackmail and threats.

Анна Бальчінос