Mykolaiv sentences ex-SDF commander to 15 years in prison

The Zavodskyi District Court of Mykolaiv found former intelligence officer Eduard Shevchenko guilty of high treason under martial law and illegal handling of weapons.

According to the Media Initiative for Human Rights, the panel of judges had been preparing the verdict for about a month. The resolution part was announced on April 1.

According to the prosecution, Shevchenko, an ATO veteran, captain of the first rank and former commander of the 73rd Marine Center of the Special Forces, was recruited by Russian special services in 2018. The investigation claims that during his service in the Navy, he passed on information, including the arrival of a foreign warship in the port of Odesa and security measures.

Also, according to the investigation, in 2022-2023, he was in contact with a representative of the Russian General Staff and passed on information about shelling, and also tried to engage the mayor of Ochakiv, Serhiy Bychkov, in cooperation.

Separately, the ex-intelligence officer was accused of illegal possession of weapons.

Eduard Shevchenko himself did not admit his guilt. He claimed that he did not pass on intelligence, and called communication with the Russians a provocation. He also denied attempts to recruit the mayor of Ochakiv.

The court partially acquitted Shevchenko on the episode of passing information about the British ship. At the same time, it found him guilty of treason under martial law and illegal handling of weapons.

He was sentenced to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property. The verdict can be appealed within a month.

After the hearing, Shevchenko stated that he did not change his position and considered himself innocent. He also once again refused a possible exchange, noting that he "does not want to exchange one prison for another".

"Why should I go for an exchange with those whom I do not consider my own? To fight with them for two years and go for an exchange? To change this prison for another?" said Eduard Shevchenko.

Earlier, Intent wrote that the debate in the case of former intelligence officer Eduard Shevchenko, accused of high treason, ended in Mykolaiv. The prosecution claims proven guilt, while the defense insists on a lack of evidence and possible falsification of the case.

Shevchenko himself also insisted on his innocence in his last speech. He stated that he had never agreed to cooperate with the Russian special services, and the contacts he is charged with could have been a provocation. The defendant emphasized that he stayed in Ochakiv during the war, helped defend the city and supported the Ukrainian military.

He also emphasized that some of the evidence, including correspondence, could have been falsified or obtained in violation of the procedure. Shevchenko also drew attention to the contradictions in the case file and the lack of clear evidence of his involvement in the transfer of classified information.

At the time of Russia's full-scale invasion, the defendant worked in the Ochakiv City Council, where he was in charge of security and video surveillance. According to the SBU, he was a Russian agent with the pseudonym "Master," who collected information about the situation in Ochakiv and passed it on to the Russians.

Recently, the mayor of Ochakiv, Serhiy Bychkov, was interrogated in court and spoke about his contacts with Shevchenko during the period when he was performing the mission.

Андрій Колісніченко