Court in Ukraine gives life sentence to Russian FSB officer in absentia
Russian officer sentenced to life (Illustrative photo: Security Service of Ukraine)
In Ukraine, a court sentenced in absentia a Russian officer to life imprisonment. He had acted as a curator of the occupation police during the temporary occupation of Kherson by the Russian army, the press service of the Security Service of Ukraine reported.
It is known that the convicted individual is a member of the so-called 9th Directorate of the Department of Operational Information of the 5th Service of the FSB of Russia, Sergey Sinitsyn, who has the call sign Sabir.
In March 2022, he arrived in Kherson as part of the so-called temporary operational group No. 8 to organize mass repressions against Ukrainian citizens, primarily against members of the resistance movement. Sinitsyn also became the curator of the main directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in Kherson.
In particular, the convict personally approved personnel appointments to the occupation police and directed raids by Russian forces on the homes of Kherson residents. During these raids, people were abducted and taken to torture chambers set up by the enemy in the city.
"In these dungeons, the victims were beaten, tortured with electric shocks, subjected to mock executions, and threatened with violence against their relatives," the statement said.
Sinitsyn also attempted to build his own agent networks in Kherson. He was primarily interested in recruiting former officials and law enforcement officers.
"The court found Sergey Sinitsyn guilty under two articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine: Part 3 of Article 110 (encroachment on the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine) and Part 1 of Article 438 (war crimes committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy)," the SBU added.
Recently, another Russian officer, Colonel-General Vladimir Spiridonov, commander of the Ural District of the Russian National Guard, was also sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison. He was involved in the violent dispersal of protests against Russian forces in Kherson.
