Zelensky said in April that “justice will be restored. Anyone who has become a Gauleiter can register to live somewhere in Rostov-on-Don,” Russia.
From Mariupol to Enerhodar, the Russians managed to find Ukrainians ready to become local officials, although in many cases their competence is in question.
Most of those accused of collaboration are still beyond the reach of the Ukrainian prosecutor’s office. But about 40 former officials and others are already on trial under strict laws passed shortly after the invasion. Some have been found guilty of providing military intelligence to the Russians.
Prosecutions continue – but not all cases are crystal clear. Local officials in areas taken over by Russian forces are often faced with an unenviable choice: to try to protect and represent the people who elected them – or to leave quickly. The southern region of Kherson provided many examples of this dilemma.
Chaos in Kherson
In the first days of the invasion, Russian troops entered Kherson. Many regional officials – police, security officials, politicians – left quickly.
But Ilya Karamalikov, a member of the Kherson city council, remained. He now faces charges of treason.
The six-page indictment obtained by CNN alleges that Karamalikov “committed acts aimed at undermining Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability” by “joining the aggressor country of the Russian Federation during martial law and assisting its representatives in subversive activities against Ukraine. “
His lawyer, Mikhail Velichko, categorically denies the allegations and says Karamalikov should be praised for staying in office and trying to maintain order in the city in the chaotic days after the invasion.
“All security forces and the district administration were evacuated in advance. Kherson was abandoned,” Velichko said. “This not only led to the absence of Ukrainian authorities in the regional center, but also endangered the safety of the residents of Kherson, who were left to fend for themselves.
“Civilians can’t resist brute force,” Velichko told CNN. “Yes, they cooperate a lot. And many simply refuse and wait for Kherson to be occupied. Many teachers, for example, refused to work. The mayor refused to work. ”
Nearly two months later, Karamalikov was arrested after crossing into Ukrainian territory while taking his family out of Kherson. He was detained in the building of the security services in Krivoy Rog, and Velichko claims that he suffered physical violence and torture. CNN demanded a response to the allegation from the Ukrainian authorities.
Karamalikov is still in custody and is accused of giving confidential information to the occupation authorities, such as the personal data of Kherson law enforcement officers, politicians and activists.
Velichko says this is ridiculous. “The military commissar had complete lists: with addresses, surnames, telephone numbers and positions of people. Lists of all employees of the territorial defense of Kherson region. There are lists of servicemen as well as civilians. It was all open, “he said.
Prosecutors also say Karamalikov assisted in the evacuation of wounded Russian servicemen and helped them find food and rehabilitation.
Municipal security
On February 25, a day after Russian troops crossed the border, Karamalikov posted on Facebook a call for Municipal Security Volunteers to maintain order and prevent looting, as well as to organize humanitarian aid.
A resident, who asked not to be identified, told CNN: “They were defending the city from looters, catching someone every day.”
Indeed, the mayor of Kherson, Igor Kolikhaev, who was also left behind, said on March 20: “There are no police in the city, no prosecutor’s office, no judiciary … There are robbers in the city, there are attempts to fight them. The municipal guard protects Kherson from robbery around the clock. ”
Karamalikov himself wrote on Facebook: “The municipal guard of Kherson – the only authority in the city today. Tasks: patrolling the streets of the city, fighting robbers, illegal trade, street and domestic violence.
Velichko says his client inevitably had to deal with the new authorities. One of Karamalikov’s calls, intercepted by Ukrainian security services, illustrates his awkward position. According to his lawyer, volunteers have detained a Russian deserter. His detention while Kherson was under occupation could lead to severe retribution, so Karamalikov decided to return him and establish contact with Russian forces.
Rejecting allegations that he had good relations with the Russians, an associate said that the premises in the city of Kherson, owned by Karamalikov, were searched by Russian forces on March 24. Two weeks later, pro-Russian telegram channels said the Kherson Municipal Guard was involved in a robbery and accused Kolikhaev and Karamalikov of covering up a racket.
Karamalikov decided to take his family out of Kherson. When he did – on April 14 – he was detained by Ukrainian police at a checkpoint.
According to documents reviewed by CNN, the case against Karamalikov is largely based on the account of a senior security officer who left Kherson before the Russians arrived and who was subsequently fired by presidential decree.
Some regional officials say they have received little guidance from Kyiv on how to deal with the occupation. The mayor of Kherson, Igor Kolikhaev, said: “We continue to work remotely with specialists, deputies from the Municipal Council and we are still waiting for an answer from the president’s office.” Kolikhaev is still in the region, but has been removed from office.
A traitor or a hero?
Marina Peschanenko, who knows Karamalikov well, believes he has been unfairly accused. “Ilya, together with Mayor Igor Kolikhaev, did everything to ensure that the city is functioning. And that was without the support of the Kyiv government, “she said.
In such desperate moments, she said, there are few good opportunities. “Act on your own, choose the solutions you think are best for the city. And in this extreme situation, all decisions are right,” she said.
Petro Andrushenko, an adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, reiterated this idea. “It is important to remember that working for the occupiers in the humanitarian sphere is not essentially cooperation,” he said last month, shortly after the separatist self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic took over the city. “There will be retribution, but only for real collaborators.
But it is unclear whether the security services and prosecutors will see the situation in the same light, and this worries some who are struggling to provide basic services in the Russian-occupied areas. CNN spoke with a senior official in a state-owned pharmacy chain in Melitopol, also in the south, who cooperated with the Russians. “Should we close all pharmacies and run?” The man asked CNN. “Leave the inhabitants in the occupation without medical care and without medicines? What solution does the government offer us?”
The man asked not to be identified for their own safety, but added: “There is a shortage of medicines in the city, but the closure of the pharmacy network will lead to even fewer of them. There is no right decision, every choice will be bad. If you stay, you are a collaborator. If you leave, you have abandoned your citizens without medical help. ”
Other professions affected include teachers in the occupied territories. Deputy Justice Minister Valeria Kolomiets told Ukrinform that “educators are responsible for their actions – and if they start propaganda in educational institutions, saying, for example, that there is no occupation, they are breaking the law.”
In Kherson, teachers are under great pressure to teach a new “Russian” curriculum. Some were threatened in April, according to local activists, with a harsh message: “Either give us the keys and documents, or we will send you to ‘rest’ in the basement.”
Others have been sent to Russian-occupied Crimea to be taught in Russia’s curriculum, according to Ukrainian officials.
There is also evidence in Kherson that detainees were forced to sign a “condemnation of the Ukrainian regime” and apply for a Russian passport, according to Kherson deputy Sergei Khlan, as well as people who spoke to CNN after fleeing the region.
Such examples show that it is often difficult to distinguish between those who actively cooperate and those who try to orient themselves in a risky and unpredictable existence.
Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk acknowledged the dilemma, but the government did not back down. “Don’t get a Russian passport,” she said late last month. “I know it may not be easy, but in the long run, Russian citizenship will create more problems than benefits.
In Kryvyi Rih, one of the most notorious tests of co-operation – against the Kherson city council member Karamalikov – is set to begin in the coming days.
His lawyer, Velichko, is confident that his client will be acquitted, despite numerous allegations against him.
“Traitor? Or a hero of Ukraine?” he asked. “For me as his lawyer and for many concerned residents of Kherson, the answer is obvious: Ilya Karamalikov is a hero.
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