Security Service of Ukraine detains Russian mercenary who "beat out votes" from Kherson residents in "sham referendum"

A collaborator was detained in the liberated city of Kherson; he had gone door-to-door to collect the "right votes", threatening locals with physical violence.

Source: press office of the Security Service of Ukraine 

Details: According to the SSU, the man is a representative of the occupiers’ so-called "Election Commission", a pseudo-institution that organised and conducted an illegal referendum under instructions from Russian "handlers".

To collect "votes", the man went around the apartments of high-rise buildings in one of the city's neighbourhoods and called on people to "vote" for joining the Russian Federation. If they refused to do so, he threatened them with physical violence and called "for help" from armed invaders who were "on duty" at the entrance. The collaborator handed over the "ballots" issued at gunpoint to the local occupation administration for further falsification of the results.

According to the investigation, the man supported the Russian invaders at the beginning of the full-scale invasion and went to cooperate with them. In return, he was appointed to a "position" that came with an allowance provided by the Russian government.

Investigators notified him that he was under suspicion under Article 28.2 and Article 111-1.5 (collaboration; participation in organising illegal elections in occupied territory, committed by a group of persons) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. He was placed in pre-trial custody, facing up to 10 years in prison.

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