Under the procedural guidance of the Berislav District Prosecutor's Office of the Kherson region, a participant in the illegal armed formation "DNR" has been notified in absentia of a new suspicion of cruel treatment of civilians (Part 2 of Article 28, Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

According to the investigation, in May 2022, the suspect was in the village of Vysokopillya in the Berislav district, where, together with other law enforcement officers, he intimidated the civilian population, used physical violence, and committed robbery.

One of the victims was a local entrepreneur. The suspect and an accomplice broke into his home, brutally beat the man with the butts of automatic weapons, and kicked and punched him in the head and body. After that, they took money and jewelry worth nearly 200,000 UAH.  

The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by investigators of the VPU No. 1 of the Berislav District Police Department of the Main Directorate of the National Police in the Kherson region.

As reported by Oleksiy Butenko, head of the department for combating crimes committed in the context of armed conflict at the Kherson Regional Prosecutor's Office, by the end of October 2025, prosecutors had already sent to court an indictment against this militant. He is charged with treason, participation in an illegal armed formation, attacks on civilians that resulted in deaths, as well as other violations of the laws and customs of war (Part 2 of Article 111, Part 5 of Article 260, Part 2 of Article 28, Parts 1 and 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

“Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, over 4,500 criminal proceedings have been registered in the region for the robbery of the population of Kherson by representatives of the aggressor state. Currently, 23 individuals have been identified and are being held criminally liable,” Butenko noted.

Note: according to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of committing a crime and cannot be subjected to criminal punishment until their guilt is proven in a lawful manner and established by a guilty verdict of the court.