A Ukrainian citizen who served in Russia’s proxy “Luhansk People’s Republic” and planned to kill Ukrainian citizens on the orders of Russian special services has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.
On March 14, the Pechersk District Court of Kyiv announced the verdict for the defendant charged with state treason, preparing assassinations, participating in illegal armed groups, and a terrorist organization.
During the trial, the prosecutor proved that in 2014, the resident of Luhansk Oblast supported Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine and personally took part in combat operations on the side of the occupiers in the ranks of the so-called “Luhansk People’s Militia.”
After the full-scale invasion of Russian troops into Ukraine in February 2022, the accused was recruited by representatives of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. He was tasked with organizing the targeted assassination of the leader of one of the Ukrainian military units, which Ukrainian law enforcement officers prevented.
This assassination was aimed to test its effectiveness before executing similar orders against other political and public figures in Ukraine, including the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov, the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov, and other prominent persons. Russian handlers promised a reward of at least $100,000 for each of these killings.
After a multi-stage special operation, the defendant was detained in the Volyn region in August 2022. During the trial, the man fully confessed to his guilt.
Photos: SBU, Kyiv prosecutor’s office
The pre-trial investigation was carried out by the Pechersk Directorate of the National Police of Kyiv with the operational support of the Counterintelligence Department of the Security Service of Ukraine in Kyiv and the Kyiv Oblast.
