“Life Under Occupation: Accusations of Collaboration with Russia in Ukrainian City of Kherson”

KHERSON, Ukraine (Reuters) – Valentina Haras, 74, a district manager in the southern Ukraine city of Kherson, says she is not a traitor.

But on the walls of the garden where she lives, in red paint, there is the word “Rashist,” meaning Ukrainian and Russian fascist, and a symbol of support for Moscow’s war machine. The letter “Z” is densely written.

Even after the Russian forces that had occupied the city for over eight months were repulsed in November last year, Kherson is still under relentless Russian artillery bombardment. Mutual distrust and fear swirl there.

Six months into the Russian occupation, the neighbors became suspicious and the traitor could come from anywhere.

In Haras’s case, four Ukrainian military personnel visited his home on November 26, 2018, and told him that he was suspected of cooperating with Russia. If found to be true, it is a felony that carries a maximum sentence of 10 to 15 years in prison. Her associates raided her home and confiscated her computer and mobile phone, according to allegations from neighbors that she was actively encouraging her to obey Russia and obtain a Russian passport. explained.

After that, Mr. Harras was also questioned by the police, but so far he has not been arrested or charged with specific charges. Of course she denies all the charges against her, and she’s baffled that she has no idea why she’s been labeled as one of her collaborators. She added that she was happy that the Russian army was driven out.

“Honestly, I don’t know what’s going on. The investigation didn’t find anything,” he said tearfully.

On the other hand, the explanation of my neighbor, Irina, is completely different.

“Mr. Harras openly supported Russia, telling everyone that Russia was great and that he was horrified under Ukrainian rule. It was never a secret confession,” Irina said. said.

“Residents thought Ms. Harras would be taken away soon. We have been writing letters impeaching her for months. But she has not been arrested and residents are shocked,” he said. rice field.

Such denunciations of Russian collaborators have become a daily sight after Russian forces retreated far from Ukrainian territory.

A military analyst in Kyiv said that Russia has so far lost more than 40% of the Ukrainian territories it occupied since it launched its invasion last February, and now holds about five minutes of Ukraine, including Crimea. It’s one of

The website of the Ukrainian prosecutor’s office shows more than 5,300 investigations into Russian collaborators across the country. However, it is not clear what stage each investigation is in.

When Russia occupied Kherson, a referendum was held to determine whether the city and surrounding areas wanted to be part of Russian territory. Russia announced that it supported the annexation, but Ukraine and Western countries dismissed the results as unreliable.

In this atmosphere, Reuters was able to speak to five residents who said they suspected acquaintances and associates of working with Russia.

According to an interview with a senior prosecutor in the Kherson district, 152 cases have been filed so far on suspicion of cooperation with Russia. Some cases that were filed early and tried in court have resulted in convictions. Some of them are accused of urging people to vote yes in a referendum.

Kherson is still a war zone, preventing the court from functioning, and proceedings are being delayed as the case is being tried elsewhere.

However, what has been filed may be just the tip of the iceberg. A spokesman for the Ukrainian security service in the Kherson district said it had identified 1,147 people involved in organizing and running the referendum, without elaborating.

If Ukraine’s planned major reversal offensive drives Russian forces further out of its territory, more cities and rural areas are likely to face a situation similar to what Kherson is currently experiencing.

In fact, cooperation with Russia is a tough choice for people to survive under occupation.

For example, some farmers are facing prosecution for registering their farms under the Russian legal system purely for the sake of continuing their business, Ukrainian agricultural organizations say.

Several groups argue that the laws regulating cooperation with Russia are ambiguous and should be revised to reflect the realities of those who struggled to survive under occupation. Others argue that there should be a clear distinction between true traitors and those who acted to survive.

(Reporter Elizabeth Piper)