The SBU completed the investigation into the ex-deputy head of the SBU: desertion, disobedience and treason
The State Bureau of Investigation has completed a large-scale investigation and submitted an indictment to the court against the former first deputy head of the Security Service of Ukraine. He is accused of a number of serious crimes, including desertion, disobeying orders in combat, loss of classified documents and treason.
For according to the investigation, On February 23, 2014, during the Revolution of Dignity, the major general betrayed his oath and fled to Crimea, taking with him secret documents containing confidential information. He tried to avoid responsibility for crimes against protestors, including treason, organizing intentional killings, and illegally obstructing peaceful demonstrations.
The investigation established that he did not undergo treatment in Crimea, as he claimed, but actively traveled, ignoring a direct order to return to Kyiv. His actions are qualified as desertion and disobedience in combat conditions, as they took place during the introduction of Russian troops into the territory of the peninsula.
Subsequently, the ex-deputy head of the Security Service of Ukraine received Russian citizenship, which confirms his intentions to go over to the side of the Russian Federation and contribute to the occupation of Crimea. This fact became additional evidence of his treason.
The investigating judge chose a preventive measure in the form of detention, which will allow him to be detained immediately after the deoccupation of Crimea. The ex-deputy head of the SBU faces up to 12 years in prison for the crimes committed.
This investigation is part of a large-scale case against the former leadership of the state for organizing the dispersal and shooting of demonstrators in February 2014. The indictment against other participants in the case, including ex-president Yanukovych, was sent to the court in October 2023.
