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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
The SBU and the Office of the Prosecutor General notified Volodymyr Saldo and two of his accomplices in absentia of suspicion for the illegal transfer of students from a Kherson lyceum to occupied Crimea in 2022.
The Security Service of Ukraine, together with the Office of the Prosecutor General, documented new probable war crimes by the head of the occupation administration on the left bank of the Kherson region, Volodymyr Saldo. He and two accomplices were notified in absentia of suspicion for organizing the illegal transfer of Ukrainian children from Kherson to temporarily occupied Crimea. According to the investigation, on 7 October 2022 the students of the Kherson Vocational Shipbuilding Lyceum were taken out of the city under the pretext of recuperation at sanatoriums.
This was reported by the Security Service of Ukraine.
How the children were taken out of Kherson
According to the investigation, the illegal transfer of students took place during the Russian occupation of the right-bank part of the Kherson region.
On 7 October 2022 representatives of the occupation administration organized the removal of pupils of the Kherson Vocational Shipbuilding Lyceum to so-called sanatoriums in Crimea.
Several types of transport were used for this. First, the children were taken by buses to Kherson river port. From there they were transported by boats to the left bank of the Dnipro, where other vehicles were already waiting for the further trip to the peninsula.
Law enforcement officers established that the transfer was organized by Volodymyr Saldo together with two representatives of the seized educational institution.
Who helped Saldo take the children out
One of the figures in the case is Viktor Loginov – a former serviceman of the Russian army. At the time of the events he held the position of so‑called deputy director of the Kherson Vocational Shipbuilding Lyceum.
According to the investigation, Loginov was responsible for the documentary processing of the students' transfer. To conceal the illegal removal of the children, he personally entered false information into the institution's records.
The other suspect is Mykola Dolzhenko, who worked as a lecturer at the lyceum during its seizure by Russian occupiers.
Investigators established that Dolzhenko directly accompanied the students throughout the entire route from Kherson to occupied Crimea.
Thus, according to the SBU, both representatives of the occupation administration and employees of the educational institution were involved in organizing the transfer of the children.
What punishment is provided for war crimes
SBU investigators classified the actions of Volodymyr Saldo, Viktor Loginov and Mykola Dolzhenko under part 2 of article 28 and part 1 of article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
This concerns war crimes committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy.
According to law enforcement, the suspects violated article 49 of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War. It prohibits forced transfer or deportation of persons under protection from occupied territories, except for evacuation cases provided for by the Convention.
The sanction of part 1 of article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine provides for imprisonment for a term of eight to twelve years.
Currently all three suspects are located on temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine. Law enforcement continues measures to bring them to criminal responsibility.
The investigation was conducted by investigators of the Main Investigative Directorate of the SBU under the procedural guidance of the Office of the Prosecutor General.
This is not the first criminal proceeding concerning Volodymyr Saldo, who after the Russian invasion headed the occupation administration in the Kherson region.
As the SBU recalled, earlier on the basis of the special service's materials he was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison in another criminal proceeding.
Background on Volodymyr Saldo
Volodymyr Saldo is a former member of the Kherson City Council who, after the full‑scale Russian invasion, supported the aggressor country's army and headed the occupation administration of Kherson. He has been wanted by Ukraine since December 2022. Sanctions have been imposed on him by Canada, the USA, the UK, the EU, New Zealand, Japan, Australia, Switzerland and Ukraine.
In November 2023 the Odesa court sentenced Saldo in absentia to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property for treason, collaborationist activity and glorification of Russian aggression.
Saldo is also suspected of involvement in the theft of almost 3 million tonnes of Ukrainian grain in 2022. After his appointment as 'governor' he allegedly pressured businesses and contributed to the seizure of enterprises. In particular, from the occupied enterprise 'Kherson Bread Products Plant' on his orders 2,8 thousand tonnes of barley were taken out in 2021 for about 15 million hryvnias to territories controlled by Russia.
He was also placed on the NSDC sanctions lists in October 2022. The Office of the Prosecutor General and the SBU notified Saldo of suspicion for collaborationist activity and organizing an illegal 'referendum' in occupied territories.
Another context is the confiscation of his property. On 21 May 2024 an auction was held in the electronic system 'Prozorro.Sales' to sell Saldo's apartment of 128,5 m² in Odesa. After two attempts the lot was sold for 2,9 million hryvnias, the new owner was a serviceman. The funds from the sale were directed to the Fund for the liquidation of the consequences of Russian aggression.
In 2022–2023 years media repeatedly reported his alleged death in Moscow, but Saldo publicly denied those rumors.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Сальдо отримав нову підозру від СБУ: організував незаконне вивезення дітей із Херсона до Криму". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: StopKor.
