The SSU continues to expose war crimes committed by the kremlin’s top military and political leadership. As a result of an investigation, the minister of transport of russia Vitaliy Savelyev, who participated in preparing and carrying out of the armed aggression against Ukraine, was notified of suspicion.

This high-ranking official assisted the russian ministry of defence in moving personnel, weapons and military equipment to the borders of our state and to the occupied areas. The enemy convoys were transported by rail through the temporarily occupied Crimea.

The SSU documented that from March 26, 2021, to September 4 this year Savelyev had ensured the transfer of almost 300 enemy armoured vehicles to the occupied peninsula. Among them are russian tanks, armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles and tanker trucks with hundreds of tons of fuel and lubricants. This equipment was used by the occupiers at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, during the battles in Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk oblasts in particular.

Over 250 railcars were used to move the military echelons. To do this, the head of russia’s ministry of transport gave orders to subordinate units of the russian railways company and the so-called ‘federal state unitary enterprise of the republic of crimea crimean railway’.

Based on the collected evidence, SSU investigators suspect Savelyev of crimes under the Articles of the CCU:

• 27.5, 437.2 (aiding in planning, preparing, unleashing and waging of aggressive war);
• 332.3 (illegal transportation of persons across the state border of Ukraine).

The crimes are punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

The SSU carried out the investigation under the procedural supervision of the Prosecutor General’s Office.