In Ukraine, charges have been brought against four former officials of the Territorial Command of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine in Crimea on suspicion of treason. According to the Prosecutor’s Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the investigation established that after the beginning of the occupation of the peninsula, these individuals refused to comply with the order to relocate to the mainland of Ukraine and switched to service in Russia.
This is reported by Finway
Charges and positions in the National Guard
According to the investigation, two of the accused agreed to the proposals of the occupying administration and took positions as “commanders of separate military units” of the Federal National Guard Troops Service of the Russian Federation. The other two became “chief of staff – deputy head of the department” and “deputy head of the department for material and technical support” of the National Guard in the city of Sevastopol.
“In particular, two of them agreed to the proposal of the occupiers to take positions as ‘commanders of separate military units’ of the Federal National Guard Troops Service of the Russian Federation. The other two took positions as ‘chief of staff – deputy head of the department’ and ‘deputy head of the department for material and technical support’ of the National Guard in Sevastopol,” the agency’s statement said.
The Prosecutor’s Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea states that while in these positions, the accused facilitated the implementation of the interests of the aggressor state under the guise of ensuring public order, combating terrorism, and extremism. Their activities, according to the agency, involved the persecution of citizens with a pro-Ukrainian stance, strengthening the occupying regime, and supporting the illegal activities of administrations controlled by Russia.
Identities of the accused and liability
The names of the suspects are not officially disclosed; however, sources report that they are Ruslan Babich, Serhiy Svyrydenko, Vitaliy Stepanchuk, and Ihor Bilevych. There are currently no public comments from them regarding the charges brought against them. If the guilt of the accused is proven in court, they face up to 15 years of imprisonment under part 1 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (treason).
It is worth noting that, according to the acting head of the Prosecutor’s Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Vitaliy Sekretary, since 2022, 458 individuals from the annexed Crimea have been held accountable in Ukraine for various articles related to collaboration, aiding Russia, and propaganda.