Russia's Minister of Sports Mikhail Degtyarev Will Be Tried in Absentia in Ukraine

In Ukraine, Mikhail Degtyarev, Russia’s Minister of Sports and President of the Russian Olympic Committee, will be tried in absentia. According to the Security Service of Ukraine, the Russian official may be involved in financing Russian military units and supporting the occupation of Ukrainian territories.

According to the SBU, at the start of the full-scale invasion, Degtyarev—who at the time was the head of Russia’s Khabarovsk Krai—helped form a local battalion to participate in combat operations in the Donetsk region.

The security service claims that he personally supplied the unit with provisions, tactical equipment, specialized clothing, and other military gear. Subsequently, this battalion took part in combat operations in the Donetsk region, specifically in assaults near Bakhmut.

“Degtyarev financed the creation of a Russian battalion and supplied it with equipment,” the SBU stated.

Investigators are also examining Degtyarev’s activities in 2014, when he was a deputy in the Russian State Duma.

According to the SBU, during that period, Degtyarev financed the creation of illegal armed groups in the occupied part of Donbas and facilitated the opening of a representative office of the so-called “DPR” in Moscow.

In addition, the security service states that after his appointment as Russia’s Minister of Sports, Degtyarev visited the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, where he held events in support of Russian policy and Kremlin propaganda.

According to the SBU, Degtyarev has repeatedly and publicly supported the Kremlin’s policies. In particular, he has stated that Russian sports organizations intend to continue their activities in the occupied territories of Ukraine.

Mikhail Degtyarev has headed the Russian Ministry of Sports since 2024. He is also the president of the Russian Olympic Committee.

According to the SBU, Mikhail Degtyarev was notified in absentia of his status as a suspect under several articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

He is charged with:

• encroachment upon the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine;
• financing actions aimed at altering the territorial boundaries or state border of Ukraine;
• illegally crossing the state border with the intent to harm the interests of the state;
• justifying Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine.

The SBU noted that, under aggravating circumstances, the article regarding the alteration of Ukraine’s territorial boundaries or state border provides for a sentence of five to ten years of imprisonment, with or without confiscation of property.

The security service reported that the evidence gathered during the investigation served as the basis for referring the case to court.

Since Mykhailo Degtyarev is currently in Russia, the trial will proceed in his absence.

This was reported by the SBU. 

Earlier, law enforcement officials identified a Russian army battalion commander who, according to the investigation, ordered the use of Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilian women to cover the retreat of a Russian military convoy. Under the procedural guidance of the Sumy Regional Prosecutor’s Office, the man was notified in absentia of his status as a suspect in violating the laws and customs of war.

In the Kherson region, 237 people were notified of suspicion in cases related to the organization and conduct of a Russian pseudo-referendum in the temporarily occupied territories. Another 107 people are suspected of activities related to the conduct of illegal “elections.”

Earlier, law enforcement officials notified two female residents of Kherson in absentia that they were suspected of participating in the organization and conduct of an illegal “referendum” on the region’s annexation to the Russian Federation. According to the investigation, they were members of the occupying “election commission” and helped conduct the sham vote. Both suspects are currently in hiding in the temporarily occupied territory.

A court found a 27-year-old resident of the Kherson region guilty of collaboration for her participation in organizing the illegal “referendum” held by Russian occupiers in 2022.