MPs from OPFL from Kherson region received sentences for working for Russians

Two former MPs from the banned OPFL, who sided with the enemy during the occupation of Kherson region, were convicted of collaboration. One of them used to be Oleksandr Vilkul 's confidant in the 2019 presidential election and now holds the position of deputy governor in Henichesk.

This is stated in the court's verdicts.

According to the case file, in September 2022, Oleksiy Skopych became the head of a department in the illegally created "Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries of the Kherson Region," and in November he headed the department.

Later, he was appointed "Deputy Minister of Agriculture," where he was responsible for the illegal transfer of land to Russian jurisdiction. He currently works as a deputy governor in Genichesk.

The court sentenced him to 9 years in prison in absentia, confiscation of property, including his house and land plots, and a 15-year ban on working in government after serving his sentence.

According to the Center for Investigative Journalism, in the 2019 presidential election, Skopich was a trustee of candidate Oleksandr Vilkul, who is currently the head of the military administration of Kryvyi Rih, Dnipro region, in constituency 184.

The second convicted was Oleksandr Ponomaryov, a member of the Genichesk City Council from the OPFL and former village head of Strilkove.

The verdict states that in August 2023, he voluntarily took part in the pseudo-elections to the occupation "Duma", where he became a deputy from the Communist Party. Ponomarev regularly appeared in Russian propaganda media, promoting Kremlin narratives and supporting the Russian military.

The court found him guilty of collaboration and sentenced him in absentia to 10 years in prison with confiscation of property and a 15-year ban on holding public office.

It should be noted that both sentences have not yet entered into force, as the convicts are currently hiding in the temporarily occupied territory.

Ірина Глухова