Kherson lawyer disbarred for collaboration with occupiers

Kherson lawyer Tatiana Mitrofanova was deprived of her right to practice law after being sentenced in absentia for collaborating with the occupiers. The court found that she had voluntarily worked for the Russian administration during the seizure of the city.

This was reported by Kavun.City.

According to the investigation, during the occupation of Kherson in 2022, Mitrofanova voluntarily joined the Russian administration and headed the legal department of the "Military-Civilian Administration of the Kherson Region" created by the occupiers. She also became a member of the "Extraordinary Commission" through which the occupation authorities actually substituted Ukrainian judicial procedures.

The investigation found that from May to November 2022, she participated in the commission's meetings and supported decisions to extend the terms of detention of prisoners in the Kherson SIZO and CF-90, "recognize" sentences as having entered into force, change preventive measures and stage detainees. The court concluded that these actions contributed to the implementation of the decisions of the occupation authorities and harmed Ukraine.

Mitrofanova's guilt was confirmed by the minutes of the commission's meetings, official documents of the occupation structures, data from the ERAU, and testimonies of prisoners and prison staff. Local residents also recognized her at events organized by the occupation administration.

Since the woman was in hiding and has been wanted since April 2024, the case was considered in absentia. The court found her guilty and sentenced her to 12 years in prison with an additional 15-year ban on working in government, state and municipal institutions, and providing public services.

Her share of the apartment and a portion of her corporate rights in Capital Law Firm remain under arrest until the sentence is executed. After the verdict came into force, the Bar Council revoked her certificate, and the information about the termination of her status was entered into the Unified Register of Advocates of Ukraine.

Also in Kherson, a former Ukrainian judge was sentenced in absentia, who went to work for the Russian administration after the occupation. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison for collaborating with the enemy, and his house and land plot were confiscated.

Анна Бальчінос