The SSU has collected evidence against another five traitors who fought against the Defense Forces in eastern Ukraine.

The perpetrators were members of the occupation groupings of the Southern military district of the russian armed forces and took part in the assaults on the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Donetsk region.

In early April this year, Ukrainian defenders took the militants prisoner during fierce fighting near Krasnohorivka and Vuhledar.

One of them is a resident of the temporarily occupied Crimea. In March 2024, he voluntarily joined the 40^th separate marine brigade of the russian armed forces.

After military training in Sevastopol and Berdiansk, he was sent to storm Ukrainian positions near Volnovakha.

Arriving at the front, the ‘soldier’ did not even start fulfilling the combat mission: Ukrainian defenders completely destroyed his battalion, and he was taken prisoner as the only survivor.

Another four militants are residents of the temporarily occupied part of Donetsk region.

According to the SSU Military Counterintelligence, three of them joined the russian occupation troops back in 2014.

At that time, they took an active part in warfare against the Anti-Terrorist Operation forces near Illovaisk, Debaltseve and Volnovakha.

After the start of russia’s full-scale invasion, the militants fired at the positions of Ukrainian troops in Donetsk region, using heavy mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns.

Based on the collected evidence, SSU investigators served the detained individuals notices of suspicion under two Articles of the CCU:

• 111.1, 111.2 (high treason);
• 111-1.7 (voluntary participation of a citizen of Ukraine in illegal armed or paramilitary groups created in the temporarily occupied territory and/or in the armed forces of the aggressor state).

The suspects face life imprisonment.

The investigation was carried out by the SSU Office in Donetsk and Luhansk regions under the procedural supervision of Donetsk Region Prosecutor’s Office.