Kherson region resident who fought for Russia was sentenced to 15 years in prison

The Sloviansk City District Court of Donetsk Oblast has found a 40-year-old resident of the occupied part of Kherson Oblast, Oleksandr Savchuk, guilty of high treason and collaboration. The man voluntarily signed a contract with the Russian army, fought against Ukraine in Donetsk region, and was later captured by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

This was reported by IRS-Pivden with reference to the court verdict and its own sources.

According to the investigation, Savchuk is a native and resident of the village of Tykhyi Lyman, Verkhnorohachytska community, Kakhovka district. On December 19, 2025, he voluntarily signed a contract with the Russian Armed Forces for a period of one year at the occupation military enlistment office in Nyzhni Sirohozi.

After that, the man was sent to Henichesk, where he was officially enlisted in the Russian army. The occupiers promised him about 200 thousand rubles a month for his service.

A few days later, Savchuk was transferred to the occupied territory of Luhansk region. At first, he was stationed at the seized mine administration of the Khrustalska mine, and later - near the village of Ustynivka. There, he was promoted to the rank of "private" and assigned to the position of rifleman.

After undergoing training at a training ground in January 2026, the man was sent to combat positions in the Donetsk region. He was stationed in the areas of Ocheretyne, Yablunivka and Stepanivka. It was near Stepanivka that Savchuk was captured by the Armed Forces of Ukraine on February 8, 2026, while performing a combat mission.

According to IRS-Pivden's sources in the Tikhyi Lyman, the Russian military meanwhile informed Savchuk's mother that her son was allegedly dead. They even took DNA samples from the woman to "identify the body".

In court, the accused fully admitted his guilt and confirmed that he had voluntarily joined the Russian army. He also described in detail where he served and how he carried out the orders of the occupation command. According to Savchuk, he was captured during an attack on Ukrainian positions.

The court found him guilty under Part 2 of Article 111 and Part 7 of Article 111-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. For the totality of the crimes, the man was sentenced to 15 years in prison with confiscation of all his property.

After serving his sentence, Savchuk is also banned from holding public office for 15 years. The sentence has not yet entered into force.

According to local residents, Oleksandr Savchuk has had problems with the law before. In 2017 and 2018, he was twice convicted of theft, as well as illegal manufacture and possession of weapons and explosives. In total, he spent about four years in prison and was released at the end of 2021.

Locals also say that before the full-scale war, about 1,500 people lived in Tikyi Lyman, but now only about 400 residents, mostly elderly, remain in the village.

Андрій Колісніченко