In Kherson, a Ukrainian Armed Forces lieutenant was sentenced to 8 years in prison for working for Russia

In Kherson, a court found Mykola Kubov, a lieutenant in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, guilty of collaboration—he voluntarily worked as a junior inspector at a penal colony run by the occupying forces. The court sentenced him to 8 years in prison.

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

According to the case file, on August 3, 2022, in the temporarily occupied territory of Kherson, Kubov voluntarily assumed the position of junior inspector of the surveillance group within the security department of the so-called “Northern Correctional Colony No. 90” — an illegal law enforcement agency created by the Russian Federation’s occupation administration.

He held this position at least until September 5, 2022, supervising convicts and ensuring their compliance with the daily routine.

The court classified Kubov’s actions under Part 7 of Article 111-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine as collaboration—the voluntary assumption by a citizen of Ukraine of a position in an illegal law enforcement agency in the occupied territory.

In court, Kubov partially admitted his guilt. He stated that he voluntarily took a job at the penal colony on a “one day on, one day off” schedule, where he supervised inmates.

According to him, he never received his salary because a mandatory condition for payment was acquiring Russian citizenship, which he refused to do, and he resigned of his own accord.

“He explains his actions by his difficult financial situation, the need to support his family, and the lack of adequate information due to restricted access to Ukrainian media,” the verdict states.

The defendant also noted that after the de-occupation of Kherson, he voluntarily enlisted in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, participated in combat operations, and was granted combatant status.

The prosecutor insisted that Kubov’s guilt had been fully proven and requested a sentence of 12 years’ imprisonment with confiscation of property.

The defendant’s attorney asked the court to take into account mitigating circumstances—including his admission of guilt, sincere remorse, difficult financial situation, and his service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine following the de-occupation—and to sentence him to 3 years in prison.

Kubov’s guilt was confirmed by the testimony of three former prison employees, who identified him from photographs as a staff member who worked there during the occupation, as well as by copies of temporary passes and personnel documents from the occupation administration.

One of the witnesses testified in court that she had seen Kubov on the prison grounds since August 2022—he reported for duty on a “every third day” schedule, and his pass was initially checked manually and later via facial recognition.

The court found Mykola Kubov guilty and sentenced him to 8 years of imprisonment, with a 10-year ban on holding positions in government or law enforcement agencies, without confiscation of property.

Ірина Глухова