A former Ukrainian intelligence agency general was found guilty of treason and given a 12-year prison term after it was proven that he had leaked state secrets to Russia.
The Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Kyiv found former SSU Major General Valerii Shaitanov guilty of treason, attempted terrorism, and illegal handling of firearms, ammunition, and explosives on Monday, according to a press release from the SSU. Additionally, the court concluded that Shaitanov had engaged in unlawful possession of a weapon.
The court also issued an order seizing all of his property.
Using the pseudonym Bobyl, the court found that Shaitanov had obtained state secrets and transferred them to Russian FSB colonel Igor “Elbrus” Yegorov. Yegorov is accused of being a terrorist plotter and participant in the 2014 war in Ukraine’s disputed Donbas area.
The former Ukrainian commander was accused of trying to enlist more SSU agents to carry out a terrorist attack at the behest of his Moscow masters. Ukraine was reportedly targeted for the attack. The Dzhokhar Dudayev International Peacekeeping Battalion leader, Adam Osmayev, was likely the intended attack victim. These Chechen rebels fought with the Ukrainians in their conflict with Russia. According to reports, Adam Osmayev was the intended victim of the attack.
After charges of corruption, including the receipt of money from persons trying to evade recruitment into military service, President Zelensky terminated all regional directors of military recruiting only days before this judgment was handed down. There are now 112 criminal investigations conducted by the US government against different military recruiting organizations nationwide.
An inquiry has been launched after corruption charges were made against Yevhen Borysov, the former head of the military recruitment center in Odessa.
Borysov is suspected of accepting more than $5 million in bribes from draft-evading individuals. Each individual reportedly paid between $2,000 and $10,000 to give false medical documents and other excuses for not serving in the military.
Zelensky’s administration declared martial law after Russia invaded the country the year before. This law included a clause making it illegal for men between 18 and 60 to leave the country.
