A former Crimean minister who defected to Russia was detained in Kyiv
The Security Service of Ukraine in Kyiv detained a former head of a Crimean government agency who, after 2014, defected to Russia and, according to the investigation, facilitated the integration of the occupied peninsula’s energy infrastructure into the Russian Federation’s system.
According to the investigation, after the occupation of Crimea in 2014, the suspect obtained Russian citizenship and began cooperating with the occupying administration.
He was subsequently appointed to the position of the so-called “Minister of Fuel and Energy of the Republic of Crimea.”
The investigation alleges that in this capacity, he facilitated the Russian Federation’s establishment of control over Crimea’s energy infrastructure, participated in the integration of energy system facilities to meet Russian standards, and oversaw the “re-registration” of energy assets under Russian legislation.
These facilities include, in particular, the Simferopol and Sevastopol thermal power plants, the Tavriya thermal power plant, networks of solar and wind power plants, as well as gas pipelines and oil terminals.
After working in the “government” of the occupation administration, he, according to the SBU, continued his activities in the extractive industry in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea.
Law enforcement officers detained the suspect in the capital, where he had traveled for personal reasons. During searches, Russian passports, bank cards, and documents confirming his collaboration with the Russian Federation were seized.
The suspect has been notified of charges under Part 1 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (high treason). The court ordered pretrial detention without the possibility of bail.
He faces up to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property.
This was reported by the SBU press center.
Earlier, in the temporarily occupied city of Simferopol, an occupation court fined four Uzbek citizens 35,000 rubles (approximately $380) each under the charge of “discrediting the armed forces of the Russian Federation.”
