Kherson resident justified the occupiers in the media

A court has handed down a guilty verdict against a 47-year-old resident of the Kherson region, finding her guilty of collaboration, as well as the production and distribution of materials justifying the Russian occupation of Ukrainian territory.

This was reported by the press service of the Kherson Regional Prosecutor's Office.

According to journalist Oleh Baturyn, it is Yulia Sipko. The court found her guilty of collaboration and justification of Russian armed aggression. The investigation established that Sipko's criminal activity was twofold: propaganda and political.

Her propaganda activities began with her voluntary joining the occupation TV channel Tavria, where she created materials in support of the administration. In particular, in September 2022, she covered the 'voting' at illegal polling stations during the pseudo-referendum in Kherson, spreading theses that justified Russia's actions and narratives about the 'one family with Russia'.

Later, in May 2023, the woman deepened her cooperation by engaging in political activities in favor of the United Russia party. She campaigned for herself as a political candidate and in September of the same year took part in illegal elections, receiving the so-called mandate of a deputy of the occupation Kherson Regional Duma.

The court sentenced Yulia Sipko to 10 years in prison with confiscation of property. In addition, she was banned for 15 years from holding positions in state and local government and from engaging in media or journalism.

It is worth noting that before the full-scale invasion , Yulia Sipko worked as a methodologist (and before that, as a laboratory manager) at the Kherson Regional Center for Retraining and Advanced Training of Employees of State and Local Government Bodies, which indicates her previous experience with the Ukrainian state system.

Катерина Глушко