In Kharkiv region, a DJ was sentenced to 13 years for aiding the occupiers: the appeal strengthened the sentence

The Poltava Court of Appeals has increased the sentence of a resident of the Izyum district of the Kharkiv region, who was found guilty of aiding the Russian occupiers during the capture of the village of Gorokhovatka in 2022.

This was reported by the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office.

He helped the occupiers and turned in patriots

According to the investigation, during the occupation of the village in April 2022, the man voluntarily cooperated with the Russian military.

Law enforcement officers established that he:

helped the occupiers navigate the terrain;
organized logistics;
supplied food to the Russian military;
reported on the homes of wealthy residents, who were later robbed by the occupiers.

In addition, the man gave the Russians the addresses of:

Ukrainian military;
territorial defense participants;
local residents with a pro-Ukrainian position.

Before the war, the convict worked as a DJ in a children’s camp.

The convict claimed coercion

The man was exposed in October 2022. The court of first instance found him guilty of aiding the aggressor state and sentenced him to 13 years in prison.

However, the prosecutor’s office filed an appeal, insisting on increasing the additional punishment.

During the hearing of the case, the convict himself stated that he allegedly acted under the coercion of the occupiers.

The court increased the punishment

The Poltava Court of Appeal supported the position of the prosecutors and left the main punishment unchanged, but additionally imposed:

A 15-year ban on holding positions in state and local government bodies;

confiscation of property.

Thus, the sentence became more severe.

Treason cases continue to be investigated

The prosecutor’s office reminds that law enforcement officers continue to actively investigate crimes committed by collaborators and accomplices of the occupation forces.

According to the State Bureau of Investigation, more than two thousand criminal cases on the facts of treason are currently being investigated, and almost one and a half thousand indictments have already been submitted to the court.