Kherson region: Electrician heads illegal authority and is suspected by SBU

An electrician from a state-owned enterprise decided to make a career under the occupiers and agreed to head the so-called administration of the village of Dudchyne, Kakhovka district, Kherson region. For this, he was suspected of collaboration by the SBU.

According to the Center for Investigative Journalism, the man in question is Ruslan Kovalchuk, a 46-year-old resident of the village of Tavrychanka.

Investigators found that he illegally disposed of communal property, subordinated Ukrainian state structures to the occupation authorities, and forced local residents to carry out orders from representatives of the aggressor state.

Prior to the outbreak of full-scale war, Kovalchuk worked as an electrician at the Askaniysk state enterprise and in the village council. During his tenure, he organized events dedicated to Russian holidays, including meetings with residents, children's drawing contests and other events related to Russian propaganda. He also received certificates of honor and awards from representatives of the occupation authorities.

If proven guilty, Kovalchuk faces up to 10 years in prison with confiscation of property.

According to the regional prosecutor's office, in the first quarter of 2025 alone, 131 criminal proceedings were opened in the Kherson region for crimes against national security, including 16 for treason.

Also, a former official from the Kherson MBA was suspected of misappropriating almost UAH 4 million in budget funds. The person in question is Tetiana Safronenko, who in 2022 served as deputy head of the Kherson City Council's education department and later began working for the occupation administration.

Before that, two more collaborators who voluntarily went to serve the occupiers were exposed in the Kherson region: one was a local resident of Kakhovka, the other was a deputy from the "Saldo Bloc".

Ірина Глухова