Mykolaiv Resident Sentenced to 12 Years for Spying for russia

A resident of Mykolaiv was sentenced to 12 years in prison for passing information about the location of the Ukrainian military to pro-Russian contacts. Despite the evidence, he pleaded not guilty, claiming that the information was publicly available.

This was reported by the Court Reporter with reference to the court verdict.

The Zavodsky District Court found the local resident guilty of illegally disseminating information about the location of the Ukrainian military.

According to the investigation, from June 2023 to January 2024, the man was an active participant in a pro-Russian Telegram channel, where he justified Russian aggression. He spread propaganda narratives about "protecting Russian speakers," denied Russian crimes and accused Ukraine of war.

In January 2024, he began communicating with a channel user who had a Russian phone number. The man agreed and provided information about the location of the military unit, hospital, and the Nibulon company, sending the coordinates via Google Maps. In the conversations, he praised his informants, his retired neighbors, and explained his actions by his desire to help Russia.

In the correspondence, the accused noted that he delivered water to houses and apartments, drove children to school and often drove by the military unit. He saw the hospital during his medical examination while working in the emergency service.

Despite the evidence, the defendant did not admit his guilt in court. He claimed that the information was publicly available, and he learned about the presence of the military on the territory of the enterprise after his arrest. He also noted that at first, the woman he provided the information to allegedly used a Ukrainian number, but later switched to a Russian number, which suggests that he was communicating with SBU representatives.

He is a former military man who was discharged by the Odesa Military Qualification Commission due to a mental disorder. He claimed that he had sworn an oath to the people of Ukraine, not to the state, and considered the presence of the Armed Forces among the civilian population a war crime.

The court found him guilty and sentenced him to 12 years in prison without confiscation of property.

Earlier, a resident of Pervomaisk was sentenced to 6 years in prison for justifying the war, calling for the overthrow of the government and disseminating information about the movement of military equipment. According to the investigation, in 2023-2024, he ran a Telegram channel with six subscribers, where he spread pro-Russian propaganda.

In early March, the court took into custody a resident of Kherson region suspected of aiding the Russian occupiers. According to the investigation, he helped them with resettlement and provision, although he denied his guilt.

Recently, a 34-year-old resident of Dnipropetrovs'k region was notified of suspicion of attempted terrorist attack in Mykolaiv. She tried to make explosive devices on the instructions of Russian special services, but was detained and is currently in custody.

Анна Бальчінос