Kherson city council deputy accused of treason asked to reduce bail

The trial of the Kherson deputy has moved to the phase of hearing testimony about his volunteer role as opposed to charges of aiding the invaders. Despite the seriousness of the charges, the defendant managed to get his bail reduced.

This was reported by the MHRC.

In Kryvyi Rih, the high-profile case of Ilya Karamalikov, a member of the Kherson City Council, continues to be considered. He is suspected of treason for allegedly collaborating with the Russian military during the occupation of Kherson.

At one of the last sessions, the court interrogated a defense witness, MP and businessman Viktor Sukhokobylin, who stated that he considered the deputy's activities to be pro-Ukrainian. According to him, at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the accused, along with other deputies, organized assistance to residents, coordinated volunteering and helped maintain order in the city.

According to the case file, Karamalikov could have been in contact with representatives of Russian forces, in particular, he handed over a wounded Russian pilot who was detained by local residents. The prosecution considers this evidence of cooperation with the occupiers, while the MP himself explains his actions by the need to avoid a threat to civilians and by his actions under occupation.

The court also considered a motion to change the restraint measure. The MP asked to reduce his bail due to his serious health condition, stating that he had stage four cancer and needed treatment. Initially, the court denied the motion, but later the appellate court partially upheld the defense and reduced the bail to UAH 332 thousand. The case is currently being considered.

Ilya Karamalikov, a deputy of the Kherson City Council accused of treason, who was detained in the spring of 2022, was released from the Kryvyi Rih pre-trial detention center in January. He was released on bail of over UAH 900,000. Back in March 2025, there was information about the possibility of releasing the MP from the pre-trial detention center on bail of UAH 9.8 million, but the court later reduced the amount of the preventive measure.

In April 2022, the SBU detained the MP when he and his family tried to leave for Odesa. The SBU provided official confirmation of the detention only on April 21. He was notified of being suspected of treason.

Анна Бальчінос