Ukraine sentences occupier-controlled head of Crimean election committee

Ukraine has sentenced Mikhail Malyshev, the head of the Russian-controlled of Crimea and one of the key organizers of the Russian pseudo-referendum on the peninsula.

This was reported by Krym.Realii.

According to the investigation, back in March 2014, the convict headed the so-called "Commission of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea for the All-Crimean Referendum". Contrary to Ukrainian and international law, he directly contributed to the occupation of the peninsula, providing general management of the fake election process.

In court, prosecutors proved that he personally coordinated the creation of illegal polling stations, provided them with equipment and fake documentation, and was responsible for registering foreign 'observers' loyal to the Kremlin and accrediting the media.

Cooperation with the enemy was not limited to the events of 2014. According to the SBU, in September 2019, Malyshev organized illegal elections to the occupation authorities in Crimea. Moreover, in 2022, he participated in the organization of pseudo-voting in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Kherson regions.

Although law enforcement officials have not officially named the convict, the details of the case and data from open sources clearly point to Mykhailo Malyshev. So far, there have been no public comments from the convict or his representatives on the verdict.

Also, on the Ai-Petri plateau near Yalta, massive construction of territories that, according to the original plan, were to be used for the development of skiing was recorded. Instead of sports infrastructure, the plateau's land is actually being used for private facilities.

Most of these facilities belong to current and former officials of the occupation administration, their relatives or business partners.

The development scheme envisaged the use of sports facilities only as a cover for actual construction with the subsequent legalization of the facilities. Although the occupation authorities issued resolutions to demolish the illegal facilities within five days after the publicity, more than 100 days have passed since the publication of these decisions, but not a single facility has been dismantled.

Катерина Глушко