Based on the SBI materials, the leadership of the Federal Security Service of russian federation and the russian Guard as well as the former leadership of the Security Service of Ukraine will be tried

24/09/2024

The SBI employees, in cooperation with the Security Service of Ukraine and the Office of the Prosecutor General, have completed the pre-trial investigation against the director and 19 officers of the Federal Security Service of the russian federation, the Commander-in-Chief of the russian Guard troops, as well as the former Head, the First Deputy Head and the Head of the Department of the Security Service of Ukraine.

The indictment was sent to the court. In addition, the indictment has been sent to the e-mail address of the Federal Security Service of the russian federation to bring its content to the attention of the accused.

In particular, among the accused:

The Director of the Federal Security Service of the russian federation, Army General Alexander Bortnikov;
The Former Head of the Security Service of the President of the russian federation, currently the Director of the Federal Service of the National Guard of the russian federation, Army General Viktor Zolotov;
The Head of the 2nd Service (the Service for the Protection of Constitutional Order and Combating Terrorism) of the Federal Security Service of the russian federation, Colonel-General Alexei Sedov;
The Deputy Head of the 2nd Service of the Federal Security Service of the russian federation – the Head of the Department for the Protection of the Constitutional Order, Lieutenant General Alexei Zhalo;
The First Deputy Head of the Department for the Protection of the Constitutional Order of the 2nd Service of the Federal Security Service of the russian federation, Major General Sergei Yegorov;
The First Deputy Head of the Department of Operational Information of the 5th Service (Operational Information and International Relations) of the Federal Security Service of the russian federation, Major General Volodymyr Pavlik;
The Former employee of the 2nd Service of the Federal Security Service of the russian federation, currently the Deputy Head of the Department of the Federal Security Service of the russian federation in Moscow, Major General Andrey Yatsenko;
The Head of the Security Service of Ukraine, who voluntarily took the position of the Head of the occupation security agency of the temporarily occupied territory of the Kherson region, Oleksandr Yakymenko;
The Head of the Department for the Protection of National Statehood of the Security Service of Ukraine, who voluntarily took the position of the Head of the occupation security agency of the temporarily occupied territory of Zaporizhzhia region Serhiy Ganzha;
The Head of the Anti-Terrorist Center at the Security Service of Ukraine, the former Major General and the First Deputy Head of the Security Service of Ukraine.

In May 2024, the employees of the SBI served notification of suspicion to the Director of the Federal Security Service of the russian federation, Oleksandr Bortnikov, of organizing treason by the former leadership of the Security Service of Ukraine, inciting national enmity and hatred in Ukraine and illegally obstructing protests in 2013-2014.

The notifications of suspicions were also served to almost 20 high-ranking officials of the special services of the russian federation. Among them were Viktor Zolotov, the Director of the Federal Service of the russian Guard, and other Generals of the Federal Security Service of the russian federation.

Investigators of the SBI, with the assistance of the Security Service of Ukraine, have collected evidence of subversive activities of the russian special service and personally of the Head of the Federal Security Service of the russian federation against Ukraine. It was established that Bortnikov developed the criminal plan to suppress the protests of Ukrainians in 2013-2014 in order to preserve the ruling regime in Ukraine at that time. The final goal was the further annexation of the part of the territory of Ukraine under the pretext of an alleged "civil confrontation".

One of the key tasks of the Federal Security Service of the russian federation was to prevent Ukraine's European integration processes and membership in the Collective Security of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, as it was threatening the aggressive plans of the russian federation to restore the union state and absorb the former Soviet republics into it.

The refusal of the top leadership of Ukraine from European integration was planned in advance by the russian federation, so measures were taken in advance to prevent protests and scenarios for their violent dispersal were developed. For this purpose, in October 2013, the Secretary of the Security Council of the russian federation, Nikolai Patrushev, came to our country with instructions to the leadership of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, including the Deputy Secretary Sivkovych, about the dispersal of potential protest actions with maximum cruelty and the use of excessive force to intimidate other activists.

The investigation established that to stop the protests, the Head of the Federal Security Service of the russian federation, Bortnikov, gave the task to the Head of the Security Service of Ukraine of that time, who also had russian citizenship, to assist (personally and with the involvement of subordinates) officers of the Federal Security Service of the russian federation in their illegal subversive activities.

In pursuance of this instruction, in November-December 2013, the First Deputy Head of the Security Service of Ukraine – the Head of the Anti-Terrorist Center put his subordinate special forces on alert at the "Advanced" level. The level of the terrorist threat was defined as "Potential", which essentially equated the protesters with potential terrorists.

The grounds for such decisions were false reports of the Head of the Department of National Statehood of the Security Service of Ukraine regarding possible terrorist threats from the protesters, approved by the Head of the Security Service of Ukraine.

In December 2013, the Commander of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, on the instructions of the Deputy Commander of the russian Internal Troops, began preparations for the violent dispersal and execution of activists, for which on December 12, 2013, he sent a letter to the Minister of Defense of Ukraine about the free transfer of 4 million cartridges, 100 thousand grenade launcher shots VOG-25, and other military equipment.

In addition, on the instructions of the Director of the Federal Security Service of the russian federation and at the invitation of the former Head of the Security Service of Ukraine, a group of 20 employees of the Federal Security Service of the russian federation arrived to Kyiv on December 13, 2013, who instructed Ukrainian law enforcement officers in countering “Euromaidan”.

On the instructions of Federal Security Service of the russian federation, supported by the leadership of the Security Service of Ukraine, Ukrainian law enforcement officers were collecting videos that provoked social conflicts between participants of the «Maidan» and its opponents. The materials were published on the Internet on a specially created YouTube channel and reports on the work done were sent to the Federal Security Service of the russian federation.

In 2022, the Former Head of the Security Service of Ukraine and Head of the Department for the Protection of National Statehood of the Security Service of Ukraine defected to the side of the enemy, as the result the Security Service of Ukraine prosecuted them for high treason under martial law. They also took senior 'positions' in illegally created security agencies on the territories of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions partially occupied by the russian federation, their actions by the investigators of the Security Service of Ukraine were additionally qualified under Part 7 of Article 111-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

The Director of the Federal Security Service of the russian federation Bortnikov O.V. is accused of organizing high treason by the former leadership of the Security Service of Ukraine, inciting national enmity and hatred in Ukraine, illegal obstruction of protests in 2013-2014 (Part 3 of Article 27, Part 2 of Article 28, Part 1 of Article 111, Part 2 of Article 28, Part 2 of Article 161, Part 2 of Article 28, Article 340 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine);
The employees of Federal Security Service of the russian federation are accused of illegal obstruction of protest actions (Part 5 of Article 27, Part 2 of Article 28, Part 1 of Article 111, Part 2 of Article 28, Part 2 of Article 161, Part 2 of Article 28, Article 340 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine);
The former Head of the Security Service of Ukraine, the Head of the Department for the Protection of National Statehood of the Security Service of Ukraine is accused of high treason by prior conspiracy by a group of persons, incitement to national, religious enmity and hatred, and were served notification of a new suspicion of illegal obstruction of protest actions, voluntary holding of positions in the security agencies of the aggressor state in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine (Part 2 of Article 28, Part 1 of Article 111, Part 2 of Article 28, Article 161, Part 2 Article 28, Article 340, Part 7 Article 111-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine);
The First Deputy Head of the Security Service of Ukraine – the Head of the Anti-Terrorist Center is accused of high treason by prior conspiracy by a group of persons, incitement to national, religious enmity and hatred and was served notification of a new suspicion of illegal obstruction of protest actions (Part 2 of Article 28, Part 1 of Article 111, Part 2 of Article 28, Article 161, Part 2 of Article 28, Article 340 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

The maximum penalty for these crimes is imprisonment for up to 15 years.

The investigating judge chose a measure of restraint in the form of detention against the accused. Due to the hiding of the defendants outside Ukraine, the pre-trial investigation was carried out under a special (in absentia) procedure.

Procedural guidance is provided by the Office of the Prosecutor General.