Court acquitted a man accused of aiding and abetting an aggressor state

This is stated in the verdict of the Dikanevskyy district court of Poltava Region on 1 September, the Kharkiv Anti-Corruption Centre reports.

As the Kharkiv Anti-Corruption Centre learned from the Judicial Power portal, it is about Vyacheslav Artyukhov.

Initially, Artyukhov was informed about suspicion of collaboration activities (part 7 of article 111-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) in absentia in July last year, when Shevchenkovo was still occupied.

A month ago, the case was reclassified to Article 111-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (aiding and abetting the aggressor state).

Artyukhov, being on the territory of the settlement of Shevchenkovo, from March to May 2022 voluntarily agreed to the appointment to the post of "head of the people's militia of the settlement of Shevchenkovo in Kharkiv region," - stated in the message.

In addition, then suspicion noted that from March to May last year, Artyukhov in the uniform of the armed forces of the Russian Federation, with small arms as the "head of the people's militia" in Shevchenkovo helped the Russian army to search for police officers who before the war worked in the Kupyansk district police Department of the GU of the National police in Kharkiv region to induce them to switch to the side of the occupants.

During the same period, according to the investigation, Artyukhov helped the occupants set up fortifications (a roadblock) in Shevchenkovo.

Artyukhov was detained in Shevchenkovo on 14 September 2022. During his detention, his official ID card of an occupation "militia" employee was seized from him. After receiving suspicion, the man declared his innocence and said that he did not trust the testimony of witnesses because he had conflicts with them.

In addition, Artyukhov then stated that the law enforcers applied him illegal methods of pre-trial investigation, namely threats, physical and moral pressure, and used beatings during detention and searches at his place of residence.

The prosecutor at the court hearing asked for 12 years' imprisonment for Artyukhov.

Artyukhov pleaded not guilty. He stated that he was a patriot of Ukraine and had always acted only in favour of the interests of Ukraine and that his detention resulted from false accusations by police officers, who, in turn, were collaborators.

He noted that his innocence was confirmed by the testimony of witnesses, while the prosecution had not provided any proper and admissible evidence to prove his guilt.