Ukrainian Security Service identifies FSB officer who lead punitive raids by occupiers in Kherson

The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) has identified a Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) officer who coordinated punitive bodies during the occupation of Kherson.

Source: SSU press service; Kherson Oblast Prosecutor's Office press service; Prosecutor General's Office press service 

Details: According to the investigation, it was Sergey ‘Sabir’ Sinitsyn, a staff member of 3rd Division of the 9th Directorate of the Intelligence Information Department in the 5th service of the FSB, who arrived in Kherson in March of last year.

Sinitsyn was part of the so-called "temporary operational group No. 8" and took part in the creation of the Russian-controlled "headquarters of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kherson Oblast". The SSU emphasised that this pseudo-unit was tasked with carrying out mass repressions against residents of captured oblasts in the southern part of Ukraine.

Law enforcement officers found out that Sinitsyn personally approved the appointment of leaders and "operational staff" of the occupation body, and then coordinated their punitive raids against citizens. Cases of the abduction and torture of people have been recorded.

In addition, he was involved in the creation of Russian field intelligence networks for conducting intelligence and subversive activities in the region. He tried to recruit former law enforcement officers and local officials for this purpose. They were supposed to identify and hand over the location of the resistance movement members to the occupiers on Sabir’s instructions.

The Russian agents also "got in touch with" residents of the territory under the control of the Ukrainian authorities through their own contacts to collect information about units of the Ukrainian Defence Forces.

The Prosecutor's Office reported that Sinitsyn, together with other representatives of the FSB, the Russian National Guard and the Russian Armed Forces, also contributed to the implementation of the so-called "rouble zone" and the transition to Russian tax system legislation.

According to the data available, the FSB representative fled to the left bank of the Dnipro River together with other Russian occupiers during the liberation of Kherson.

The FSB officer has been served with a notice of suspicion of violating the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine (Part 3 of Article 110 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

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