Served the enemy and hid as an IDP: ex-police officer from Kherson sentenced

A court has sentenced a former law enforcement officer from Kherson, finding him guilty of treason and collaboration. He worked in the occupation penal colony during the seizure of the city.

This was reported by the press service of the State Bureau of Investigation.

During the pre-trial investigation, it was established that in June 2022, during the temporary occupation of the city, the man deliberately and voluntarily sided with the aggressor state. He took up the position of a so-called "junior inspector" in an institution illegally created by the occupation authorities - the Northern Correctional Colony No. 90. The institution operated under the control of Russian occupation structures.

It held not only convicts, but also civilians from Kherson who were suspected of disloyalty or resistance to the occupation administration.

While working in the pseudo-institution, the defendant supervised the detainees: he conducted searches, inspections, and monitored compliance with internal regulations and order. For this, he received a salary in Russian rubles.

After the liberation of Kherson, the man did not leave with the Russian military. Later, he moved to Vinnytsia region and settled in Mohyliv-Podilskyi, where he obtained the status of an internally displaced person and began receiving state social benefits.

In October 2023, officers of the State Bureau of Investigation, with the operational support of the Security Service of Ukraine, established his whereabouts, exposed and detained him.

The court qualified his actions under part two of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - high treason, as well as under part seven of Article 111-1 - voluntary holding a position in illegal law enforcement agencies established in the temporarily occupied territory. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property.

Also in January, former Kherson prosecutor Petrenko was charged with treason. After Russia's full-scale invasion and occupation of part of the Kherson region, he, according to the investigation, voluntarily sided with the occupation authorities and headed departments of the fake Ministry of Tourism.

Анна Бальчінос