Kherson Deputy Suspected of Aiding russia by Organizing Forced Harvesting

A deputy of the Kherson regional council from the banned traitor's party, Saldo, organized a forced harvest and handed it over to the occupiers.

According to the Prosecutor General's Office, the suspect is the owner and de facto manager of several farms and agricultural enterprises in the Kherson region. In the spring of 2022, the man, staying in the then-occupied village of Muzykivka, Kherson region, repeatedly transferred material resources to the enemy army.

"He voluntarily provided food to the Russian Armed Forces servicemen participating in the armed aggression against Ukraine," the agency said.

Also, according to the investigation, the deputy organized the shipment of grain (winter wheat) grown by his enterprises to the State Unitary Enterprise Kherson Grain Company, created by the occupiers. In order to assist the occupation administration in the misappropriation and export of Ukrainian agricultural products, the suspect organized the forced harvesting of fields belonging to other farmers.

In July 2022, the MP ensured the export of the harvested agricultural products to the city of Dzhankoy in the temporarily occupied Crimean peninsula for further transportation to foreign countries. For unimpeded movement in the occupied territory, the MP used the car passes of the "federal adviser" issued to him by the occupation "military-civilian administration of Kherson region".

Under the procedural supervision of the Prosecutor's Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, the former deputy of the Kherson Regional Council was served a notice of suspicion of aiding the aggressor state and aiding in violation of the laws and customs of war. At the request of the autonomy's prosecutor's office, a pre-trial restraint in the form of detention without the possibility of bail was imposed on him.

The prosecutor's office did not name the suspect. However, Intent found that it may be Serhiy Sorokunsky.

Earlier, activists found that one of the henchmen who helps Saldo steal grain from Kherson farmers is Pavel Kozyuba.

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