Pro-Russian propagandist convicted for publicly supporting and justifying Russia’s armed aggression
Following a public prosecution by the Lviv Regional Prosecutor’s Office, a Ukrainian citizen was found guilty of aiding the aggressor state and justifying, recognising as lawful, denying the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine (Article 111-2(1), Article 436-2(2), (3) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
He was sentenced to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property. He was also deprived of the right to hold any positions in state and local government for a period of 15 years.
The prosecutor proved in court that a native of Lviv, who now lives in the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea, is engaged in propaganda activities in support of Russia.
To do this, the accused systematically disseminates his manipulative videos on his personal Telegram channel, in which he expresses his support for the aggressor state, its decisions and actions regarding the war in Ukraine.
In his video messages, he justifies and recognises the legitimacy of Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine, which began in 2014. He also denies the temporary occupation of part of the country’s territory. He claims that the occupiers came with the sole intention of improving the lives of both Russians and Ukrainians;
In addition, the man calls himself a historian, the founder of the Russian movement in Ukraine, and notes that he fights against Nazism and genocide against Russians;
The special pre-trial investigation was conducted by investigators of the SBU Office in Lviv region.