Residents of Kherson region resettled occupants in the homes of locals

Under the procedural supervision of the Kherson Regional Prosecutor's Office, a local resident was served in absentia with a notice of suspicion of collaboration (Part 5, 6 of Article 111-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) and justification of Russian armed aggression.

This was reported by the Kherson Regional Prosecutor's Office.

In August 2022, the 58-year-old suspect became the head of the so-called 'Novooleksandrivske Territorial Administration of the Kalanchak Military Administration of the Kherson Region'. In this position, he not only organized the work of the illegal authority, but also directly contributed to the resettlement of the Russian military in the homes of local residents who were forced to leave the temporarily occupied territory. These actions fall under the article on cooperation.

In addition, the 'official' actively played the role of a propagandist, repeatedly giving interviews to pro-Russian media. In his speeches, he disseminated pseudo-historical narratives to justify the occupation of the region, in particular, the alleged 'historical affiliation' of Kherson region settlements with Russia. He also praised the transition of educational institutions to Russian standards, which is a violation of the article on justification of armed aggression.

The pre-trial investigation of these criminal acts, which fall under the articles on cooperation and justification of aggression, is being carried out by the Main Department of the National Police in Kherson region.

Earlier, the Kherson City Court of Kherson Region found <b>Svitlana Mezherytska</b>, who, before the full-scale invasion , headed the Health Department of the Kherson City Council and was a deputy of the Kherson Regional Council from the Nash Krai party, guilty of collaboration.

The court sentenced her to 7 years in prison with a 12-year ban on holding positions in state and local government and in positions related to the provision of public services.

The prosecution established that no later than the second half of July 2022, Mezherytska took up the position of the so-called 'Head of the Health Care Department of the Department of Social Policy of the Military-Civilian Administration' of the occupation authorities. According to the case file, the woman worked under a pseudonym beginning with the letter 'T'. Documents seized after the de-occupation of the city (including a list of employees, a time sheet, and minutes of a meeting with the occupation governor) confirmed her position in the illegal administration.

Катерина Глушко