Five Ukrainians from Russian-occupied Melitopol in Zaporizhzhia Oblast will appear before a Russian court for allegedly being part of a "terrorist group," Russian state-affiliated media reported on April 14.
The five Ukrainians were transported from Melitopol to Crimea, which has been occupied by Russia since 2014, and subsequently transferred to the Lefortovo pre-trial detention center in Moscow.
The Russian authorities have accused the five Ukrainians – alleged members of the Armed Forces and Territorial Defense Forces – of planning explosions at locations where Russian troops were stationed and places where humanitarian aid was distributed.
According to Russian state-affiliated media, Russian FSB officers found explosives on April 6 in the car in one suspect's garage.
Caches of weapons, ammunition, and grenades were allegedly found in basements, garages, as well as under piles of garbage and tombstones in cemeteries.
Ukraine hasn't commented on Russia's accusations against the five Ukrainians.
Russia held sham referendums in occupied parts of Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk, and Luhansk oblasts at the end of September 2022 and claimed the annexation of the entire territory of the four regions.
Survivors in Ukraine's liberated territories recount being subjected to threats, torture, and forced mobilization under Russian occupation.
There are repeated stories of partisans in occupied Melitopol, which has been occupied since March 2022, targeting the Russian occupation authorities.
Francis Farrell
