With the support of the public prosecution by the prosecutors of the Kherson Regional Prosecutor's Office, the former so-called "head of the military-civilian administration of Kherson" has been found guilty of treason and collaborationist activities (Part 2 of Article 111, Part 5 of Article 111-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

By the court's verdict, he has been sentenced to life imprisonment with confiscation of property.

It has been proven that a 66-year-old retired security service officer, who was living in Kyiv at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, left Ukraine in March 2022. Holding pro-Russian views, he crossed the administrative border with the Autonomous Republic of Crimea in early April and entered the occupied Kherson at that time.

Pursuing his political ambitions, the man negotiated with the Russian military to take over the management of the city. The occupiers facilitated this process and forced the legitimate local self-government bodies to recognize the occupation leadership. At the end of April 2022, he was appointed "head of the military-civilian administration of Kherson."

In this pseudo-position, he assisted the aggressor state, contributed to the incitement of separatist sentiments among the population of the region, and coerced citizens with pro-Ukrainian positions into submission.

The convicted individual formed the structure of the occupation authority, established staffing, organized the financing of the "VCA of Kherson" from the state budget of Russia. He ensured the operation of communal enterprises, transport, communication, the fuel and energy complex, educational institutions, and the activities of entrepreneurs in the trade sector, adapting these industries to Russian legislation. All actions were coordinated with the military-political leadership of the aggressor state.

The verdict was rendered in absentia. The convicted individual will serve the sentence after his arrest. 

A special pre-trial investigation was conducted by the Security Service of Ukraine in the Kherson region.