The leaders of a Kherson-based oil trading company are suspected of aiding Russia in establishing an occupation regime in the temporarily occupied part of southern Ukraine. They have been officially charged.
According to the Security Service of Ukraine, the director and accountant of the mentioned company started collaborating with the Russian FSB at the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Together, they arranged wholesale deliveries of diesel fuel and gasoline from the temporarily annexed Crimea to meet the needs of the occupiers.
In Kherson, the suspects refueled the military equipment of the occupiers, including Russian tanks and armored vehicles that were involved in the southern front of the war. They used their own refueling station within the regional center.
They supplied over 300 tons of fuel to the occupiers, amounting to more than 20 million in hryvnia equivalent.
In addition, the collaborators "re-registered" their own company under Russian "legislation" and opened ruble accounts in one of Moscow's banks.
The SSU documented that the individuals exerted pressure on the enterprise's employees, forcing them to obtain Russian passports. In case of refusal, they threatened them with dismissal and a "corresponding statement" to the punitive authorities of the Russian Federation.
During the de-occupation of Kherson, both suspects managed to escape along with Russian occupiers to the temporarily occupied part of the region.
However, during the searches at the enterprise, computers, accounting documents, and draft records were found, providing evidence of the crimes committed by the suspects.
Since both individuals are hiding outside the territory controlled by Ukraine, comprehensive measures are underway to locate them and hold them accountable for crimes against Ukraine.
