Railway worker from Kherson transported Russian military cargo and received 11 years in prison

During the occupation, the Kherson railway worker voluntarily headed the Kherson station and organized the transportation of enemy cargo. The court found him guilty of aiding the aggressor state and sentenced him to 11 years in prison.

This was reported by the Center for Investigative Journalism with reference to the verdict of the Kherson City Court.

In the summer of 2022, a 54-year-old resident of Kherson, Yurii Sanin, a former railway crossing officer at the Kherson railway line, agreed to cooperate with the Russian occupiers and headed the Kherson railway station.

While in this position, he ensured the operation of the station - organized the transportation of military cargo, drew up delivery and unloading schedules, and controlled the movement of equipment, including the so-called "armored train."

The investigation found that Sanin actively assisted the occupation administration. He personally interviewed all employees who were hired. Candidates were forced to agree that they were not allowed to know what was being transported in the cars and who worked at the station. Sanin also urged the staff to support the occupiers and campaigned for Russian passports, promising high salaries.

Witnesses said that the entire team was under surveillance. Employees began to fear each other, as any careless remark could lead to persecution. One of the employees openly expressed support for the Ukrainian Armed Forces after discussing another strike on the occupiers' positions - he was soon abducted by Russian security forces and taken to the basement.

According to eyewitnesses, representatives of the Russian Federal Security Service regularly appeared at the station to control the activities of the management and staff. Sanin actually coordinated all the logistics: how and when to deliver the cargo, where to transport it, in particular in the direction of Nyzhni Sirohozy and to the Kherson River Port. In May 2024, the Kherson City Court sentenced him to 11 years in prison in absentia.

Tetiana Voitsekhovska, 54, from Kherson, was also sentenced to 10 years in prison for voluntary cooperation with the occupiers and encouraging others to work for the invaders. In 2022, she joined a rescue service created by the enemy. The court ruled to confiscate her property - two apartments and a car.

Анна Бальчінос