- Category
- Latest news
Russia Sentences Former Ukrainian Soldier to 18 Years in Occupied Sevastopol on Treason Charges
- Authors
![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
In the temporarily occupied city of Sevastopol, Russian authorities have sentenced 51-year-old former Ukrainian soldier Ruslan Chorny-Shevets to 18 years in prison on charges of “state treason.”
The trial was held under illegal circumstances, with Russian officials labeling Chorny-Shevets as an accomplice to another detained political prisoner, Serhii Likhomanov, who was recently transferred to the occupied Crimean city of Simferopol, Suspilne Crimea reported on April 16.
We bring you stories from the ground. Your support keeps our team in the field.
According to the Sevastopol “prosecutor's office,” the ruling stems from a case where Chorny-Shevets allegedly collaborated with Likhomanov to gather and transmit intelligence about Russian military units and facilities in occupied Sevastopol to the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) in November 2023. Russian officials claim the two men were working together to pass critical military information to the SBU.
In addition to the 18-year prison sentence, he has been ordered to serve one year of restricted freedom and pay a fine of around $4,180.
Chorny-Shevets was detained by Russian forces on December 27, 2023, at his home in Sevastopol. On the same day, another former soldier, Serhii Likhomanov, was taken into custody and subsequently transferred to an undisclosed location.
Likhomanov’s case follows a similar trajectory, as he was sentenced to five years in prison for “the illegal possession and transportation of explosives” in May 2024, according to Suspilne Crimea. Further charges were brought against him in October 2025 for “state treason,” and he was handed a 15-year prison term.
Likhomanov's family, however, has expressed concerns about the fairness of the trial. In a comment to Suspilne Crimea, his sister, Tetiana, claimed that he was pressured into confessing, fearing for the safety of his family.
“I am sure he admitted guilt not because he was guilty, but because he was afraid for his family. They knew where to apply pressure. He has a small child—he could have signed anything to protect them,” she said. “My brother is an ordinary man. But he is certainly not a terrorist or a traitor. They are trying to make him the ‘perfect enemy’ to scare others.”
In response to Russia’s unlawful actions, Ukraine has imposed new sanctions targeting Russian judges involved in issuing illegal sentences against Ukrainian prisoners of war. On March 10, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed decrees enforcing these sanctions, which were approved by the National Security and Defense Council.
The sanctions, which include restrictions on 41 individuals—38 Russian nationals and three collaborators—aim to hold accountable those complicit in Russia’s illegal activities, such as issuing arrest warrants for Ukrainian prisoners of war and supporting Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
One of the prominent cases includes a judge who sentenced nine Ukrainian prisoners of war in a single week, accusing them of fabricated terrorism charges. The sanctions also extend to judges who made unlawful rulings against public figures, activists, and journalists based on political or religious affiliations.
The sanctions list further includes former Ukrainian citizens now working in temporarily occupied Donetsk, who sentenced three international volunteers to death for fighting alongside Ukrainian forces.
Meanwhile, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don handed down prison sentences ranging from 14 to 20 years to the nine individuals involved in the “Kherson Nine” case. The verdict was confirmed by Mediazona on January 30, based on official court documents.
The defendants were charged with being part of a terrorist organization and attempting to carry out acts of international terrorism. Six of the accused—Bogdanov, Kabakov, Kaev, Lyalko, Reznik, and Tavozhnyansky—faced additional charges related to the preparation of such acts.
-72b63a4e0c8c475ad81fe3eed3f63729.jpeg "Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk")
-6e63760df9a582ef033cd258b34256e3.jpg "Ukraine Uncovers Fake Insurance Scheme Used by Russian Tankers to Evade Sanctions")