11 years in prison for promoting Russian Federation: 20-year-old collaborator from Melitopol has been sentenced in absentia in Volyn
The Lutsk City and District Court has sentenced a 20-year-old resident of the occupied city of Melitopol in the Zaporizhzhia region, in absentia, to 11 years’ imprisonment with confiscation of property. The woman supported the Russian occupiers, justified Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and spread pro-Russian ideas amongst young people.
Evidence of her activities was gathered by SSU investigators in Volyn, according to Censor.NET.
Details
According to the investigation, in the temporarily occupied territory, the woman presented herself as the head of the Zaporizhzhia regional branch of the organisation ‘Volunteer Company of the Combat Brotherhood’ and of the local branch of the ‘Young Guard of United Russia’ in Melitopol.
From December 2023, she ran a Telegram channel where she justified Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine, recognised the occupation of Ukrainian territories as legitimate, and glorified the Russian military.
Furthermore, on the instructions of the occupying authorities, the woman collected signatures in support of Vladimir Putin, took part in the so-called ‘Russian presidential elections’ and gave an interview to the Russian propaganda television channel ‘Solovyov.LIVE’.
She also gave so-called ‘patriotic’ lectures to schoolchildren and young people.
Investigators from the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) office in the Volyn region gathered evidence of the woman’s activities. The Lutsk City and District Court found her guilty under two sections of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:
- collaborative activities;
- justifying the Russian Federation’s armed aggression against Ukraine and glorifying those involved in it.
The woman was sentenced in absentia to 11 years’ imprisonment, with her property to be confiscated.
