(Kyiv) – The former head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) department in Crimea has been formally notified of suspicion of committing high treason. Following the Russian occupation of Crimea in 2014, the suspect defected to the Russian Federation, took a position within the Federal Security Service (FSB), and played a role in supporting Russia’s illegal annexation of the peninsula.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, the investigation revealed that the individual had been employed as the head of the 3rd Division of the SBU’s Main Department of Counterintelligence Protection of State Interests in Economic Security prior to the occupation. However, after the annexation, he chose to abandon his duties to Ukraine and joined the Russian-backed authorities.
In 2014, the suspect was appointed as the head of an FSB unit operating in Crimea and Sevastopol. The unit was involved in organizing and carrying out actions that contributed to the seizure of Crimea from Ukraine. His work with the occupying forces ultimately earned him the “For the Defense of Crimea” medal by the so-called head of the Crimean republic in 2016.
The investigation further revealed that his actions were instrumental in strengthening the Russian presence on the peninsula and supporting subversive activities against Ukraine. The individual’s defection and subsequent collaboration with Russian authorities significantly aided the aggressor state’s operations in Crimea.
As a result of these findings, the former SBU official has been served with a notice of suspicion under Part 1 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which addresses high treason. The charge carries a potential sentence of up to 15 years in prison along with confiscation of property.
This development follows the ongoing efforts by Ukraine to hold individuals accountable for their involvement in actions that undermine national sovereignty. Recently, Ukrainian authorities also alerted employees of a Ukrainian company for their involvement in aiding the construction of a Russian liquefied natural gas plant in Rostov, which included supplying equipment to Russian energy giants Gazprom and Lukoil.
The case against the former SBU officer is a reminder of the complex and often dangerous political dynamics that followed Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea, as many former Ukrainian officials were forced to make choices that continue to have severe legal and personal consequences.
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