As a result of interagency cooperation between the Security Service of Ukraine, the National Police, the Office of the Prosecutor General, and law enforcement authorities of the Republic of Lithuania, a Russian combatant was detained in the European Union. He is a Ukrainian citizen who joined the Russian forces and fought against Ukraine.
The arrest took place at the border with Lithuania, where the individual attempted to flee as a refugee.
Investigation revealed that the detainee is a 33-year-old UAV operator who launched Russian strike drones at Kherson.
He was born in the Sumy region, but after the temporary annexation of Crimea, he moved to the peninsula, obtained a Russian passport, joined Putin’s “United Russia” party, and voluntarily signed a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Later, he underwent training at a military range and swore an oath of allegiance to the aggressor country.
Within the Russian armed forces, he was assigned as a UAV operator and sent to fight on Ukraine’s Southern front.
After assessing the risks of fighting against the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the combatant abandoned his positions and then fled to the European Union.
In the EU, he planned to use his Ukrainian passport to claim refugee status and “lay low.”
Based on materials provided by the SSU counterintelligence and the National Police Criminal Investigation Department, Lithuanian authorities exposed the combatant at the border and handed him over to Ukraine for prosecution.
On the basis of collected evidence, SSU investigators charged the detainee under Part 2, Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (high treason committed during martial law).
The perpetrator is in custody and faces life imprisonment with confiscation of property.
