In Kherson, a 64-year-old Telegram chat commentator was given a suspended sentence

A Kherson resident was sentenced to five years in prison, with a three-year probationary period, for systematically posting comments in support of the occupiers in the Telegram chats “Crimea Lovers Club” and “Kherson Chat.” The man pleaded guilty and reached a plea agreement with prosecutors. 

This is stated in the verdict of the Kherson City Court.

In addition, the court ordered the special confiscation of the defendant’s phone for the benefit of the state, as well as the recovery of over 16,600 hryvnias in expenses for forensic examinations. The court considered the defendant’s age, positive character references, and lack of prior convictions as mitigating circumstances.

The investigation established that from February to June 2025, a 64-year-old resident of Kherson repeatedly posted statements in public group chats via his personal account that justified the Russian Federation’s armed aggression and denied the occupation of Ukrainian territories. 

In particular, as stated in the case file, the defendant claimed that the Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, and Donetsk regions “are part of the Russian Federation.” Investigators established that he called for “continuing the purge of Ukraine” in accordance with the plans announced at the beginning of the so-called “special military operation.” 

Law enforcement officials gathered and evaluated a range of evidence of the defendant’s guilt. In particular, linguistic and computer-forensic analyses were conducted.

Юлія Калабайда