The head of the occupation's investigative service in Henichesk was sentenced to 15 years

A former official from Henichesk who voluntarily defected to the enemy was sentenced to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property. The defector headed a so-called “criminal investigation” unit within the occupation police.

This is stated in the verdict of the Kherson City Court. 

As investigators established, in the spring of 2022, the man accepted the occupiers’ offer and assumed a leadership position in the illegally established law enforcement agency. Witnesses in the case testified that the traitor made this choice deliberately for money, as the Russians had promised him a salary of about 100,000 rubles. In his “position,” he commanded operatives, tracked down people, and patrolled the city armed.

Since the collaborator is in hiding from justice in the temporarily occupied territory, the case was heard in a special judicial proceeding—in absentia. He will serve his sentence immediately upon his arrest.

Earlier, Intent asked Odesa-based lawyer Igor Shavrov how effective trials in absentia are and whether there is a likelihood that their sentences will be carried out. According to the expert, court sentences handed down in absentia are not merely formal but are genuine. A conviction in absentia for collaboration is the only legal means of holding a person criminally liable if that person is in hiding on the territory of a state designated as a state sponsor of terrorism. It is a practical way to issue an international arrest warrant for the person. 

It is important to note that, under Ukrainian law, statutes of limitations do not apply to criminal offenses against the foundations of national security, which include collaboration. This means that a person can be held criminally liable regardless of how much time has passed since the crime was committed.

Юлія Калабайда