Former Odessa City Council Member Accused of Treason
Under the supervision of the Odessa regional prosecutor's office, a former member of the pro-Russian party «Rodina» has been charged with treason.
He is accused of state treason, war propaganda, and justifying the aggression of Russia against Ukraine, committed using media outlets (Part 2 of Article 111, Article 436, Part 3 of Article 436-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
According to the investigation, in 2014, he left for Russia, where he took active steps against Ukraine's sovereignty.
On February 24, 2022, the day of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the suspect joined the forces of the Russian Federation in the temporarily occupied territory of Kyiv region, aiding the enemy and spreading Kremlin narratives.
The former deputy actively utilized his Telegram channel, where he posted messages openly calling for Ukrainian military personnel to lay down their arms and not resist. In his posts, he justified Russia's aggression, informed about the occupation progress, and disseminated disinformation.
He also gave an interview to a prominent Russian YouTube blogger, where he openly admitted his collaboration with the occupiers and claimed that Ukraine supposedly had no chance of victory.
He is currently wanted.
The investigation is being conducted by the SBU in the Odessa region.
Note: According to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.