The SSU has gathered irrefutable evidence on another 8 collaborators who voluntary cooperate with the enemy in the temporarily occupied territory of Zaporizhzhia region.

The majority of them received fake positions in the occupation ‘authorities’ in exchange for loyalty to the enemy.

For example, the head of Berdyansk district organization of the banned political party Union of Left Forces has been actively cooperating with the occupiers since the start of the invasion.

The ‘politician’ took the position of the ‘acting mayor of Berdyansk’. In his new status, he ensures smooth operation of the military occupation administration and helps spread ‘russkiy mir’ [russian world] among locals.

Immediately after his appointment, he carried out a personnel ‘purge’ of the mayor’s office, leaving in the office only ‘his people’ and those loyal to the ‘new authorities’.

A former journalist from Berdyansk volunteered to become his deputy for foreign and domestic policy and mass communications. He organized publication of so-called local ‘news’ through the pro-russian Telegram channel Berdyansk ZaVtra [Berdyansk Tomorrow]. The content consists of criticism of the current Ukrainian government and calls to help russian ‘liberators.’

This propagandist organized the ‘celebration’ of ‘russia day’ in Berdyansk, as well as broadcasting on the local radio station Azov Wave, which was taken over by russia and now promotes pro-kremlin narratives, for example, on the legitimacy of the occupation mayor’s office in Berdyansk and the city’s ‘police department’.

The SSU has completed the pre-trial investigation on these two suspects and sent the file to the court. The other 6 collaborators were notified of suspicion of treason under martial law and collaboration.

The 6 suspects include the former head of Myrne village, Melitopol district, who retained his position by informing the enemy on the participants of the ATO/JFO, military personnel of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and Territorial Defence in his community.

Another collaborator, a pro-russian village council accountant, convinced the occupiers of her loyalty and became ‘deputy head of the military-civilian administration of Rozivka district on financial issues.’

The woman is engaged in establishing channels for moving Ukrainian grain to russia.

A former specialist of Yakymivka village council also handed over to the enemy lists of residents of her village – participants of the ATO/JFO, former law enforcement officers and local patriots. For this, she assumed the position of ‘chief of Shelyugiv district of the so-called Akimovka village administration of Melitopol district’.

A former employee of local Military Commissariat also betrayed his oath, becoming an ‘ataman’ of the illegal paramilitary formation ‘Melitopol cossack squad for public order protection’. Currently, the traitor is engaged in ‘collecting tribute’ from the owners of hotels and tourist bases in Melitopol.

In Vasyliv district, the director of one of the enterprises voluntarily handed over spare parts for military equipment to the occupiers and provided them with production facilities where personnel and military equipment are stationed.

In addition, he gave the occupiers the addresses of houses, whose owners had left because of the war, and personally helped to accommodate soldiers there.

A resident of Enerhodar, who has repeatedly served time for hooliganism, robbery and rape, will also be held to account for collaboration with the enemy.

He gave occupiers information on fighters of Territorial Defence, volunteers, activists collecting funds for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and owners of firearms who could pose a threat to the occupation authorities.

The SSU Office in Zaporizhzhia has been working on the investigations into the collaborators under the procedural supervision of Zaporizhzhia Region Prosecutor’s Office.