Ukrainian Teacher Accused of Collaborating with Russian Occupiers

The SBU served in absentia a notice of suspicion of aiding the enemy and collaboration to 63-year-old Victoria Yezyukinska from Kherson, who at the end of 2023 headed the seized school in the Konstantynivka village community of Kakhovka district.

According to the Center for Investigative Journalism, investigators found that in the fall of 2023, Yezyukinska registered the occupation school in the Russian register of legal entities, recruited employees, received books in Russian from the invaders, and organized exhibitions to honor the dead Russian invaders.

"She also organized propaganda events and brainwashed minors, gave interviews to Russian propagandists and publicly endorsed the aggression against Ukraine," the text of the suspicion reads.

For the crime, Viktoriya Yeziukinska was served in absentia with a notice of suspicion of collaboration and aiding the aggressor state. She faces 10 to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property.

According to the information of the CPJ, Victoria Yeziukinska is a pensioner, she used to work as a primary school teacher in one of the schools in Kherson. According to local residents, she appeared in Kostiantynivka shortly before her appointment. She told the villagers that after fleeing Kherson, she moved to the Krasnodar Territory of Russia, where she received either 14 or 17 thousand rubles.

"This was not enough for her to live on, so she decided to come to work for us because they promised to pay more," residents of the Kostiantynivka community told CCR.

Earlier, law enforcement officers submitted to the court an indictment against Svitlana Dudchenko, the former director of a Kherson school. During the occupation, the woman illegally distributed bonuses worth almost UAH 2.5 million.

Recently, the SBI completed an investigation into the former director of the Department for Civil Protection and Defense of the Kherson Regional State Administration. The official is accused of purchasing low-quality clothing for military personnel, which caused the state losses of more than UAH 21 million.

The court also imposed a pre-trial restraint on two officials suspected of extortion. One of them is the deputy head of the Kherson regional municipal emergency service. They demanded 10% of the contract amount, which amounted to UAH 199 thousand. The officials threatened the businessman that if he refused, he would not be able to continue his activities in Kherson and the region.

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