Mykolaiv resident receives suspended sentence for supporting Russian aggression

A resident of Mykolaiv was sentenced to 3 years of probation for publicly justifying Russian aggression on Telegram. The man pleaded guilty, repented and transferred funds to the needs of the Armed Forces.

This is stated in the decision of the Korabelnyi District Court of Mykolaiv.

The court found the local resident guilty of justifying and glorifying Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine, which began in 2014. He was sentenced to five years in prison with a probationary period of three years - that is, without actual imprisonment if he does not violate the requirements of probation.

According to the investigation, the man, an electrician at Ecotrans, had been posting pro-Russian content on Telegram for almost a year. In particular, he wrote:

• "I was born and lived almost all my life in Mykolaiv. All my life I have felt that my city and Ukraine are an integral part of Russia. I am definitely for the referendum" - this comment appeared under a post about the preparation of a pseudo-referendum in Mykolaiv region;
• "We are waiting for liberation, we are waiting very much..." - written in response to reports of a possible offensive in the region;

In addition, the accused glorified the militants of the Wagner PMC and expressed hope for new strikes on Mykolaiv, commenting on the Ukrainian Armed Forces' attack on Sevastopol.

According to the case file, the man pleaded guilty in full, explaining his actions by the influence of Russian propaganda. In court, he stated that he had subsequently rethought the situation, began to read Ukrainian sources, realized the error of his views and sincerely repented. As a sign of support for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, he donated 20 thousand hryvnias to the army.

The court took into account his sincere remorse, voluntary plea, the absence of grave consequences, and the presence of a dependent minor child with a disability. As a result, the defendant was released from serving the actual sentence with a probationary period of three years. The judge ruled to confiscate the smartphone from which the comments were published and to recover almost 6 thousand hryvnias from the man for the examination.

Also, a former police officer from Mykolaiv was sentenced to 10 years in prison for passing data on the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to the enemy. The court found that the information he disseminated via Telegram could have led to fire damage to the Ukrainian military.

Анна Бальчінос