The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) detained five individuals accused of spreading pro-Russian propaganda and publicly justifying war crimes committed by Russian forces, the agency reported on April 21.
Among those detained is a former member of the banned Nashi party, linked to former Ukrainian pro-Russian lawmaker Yevhen Murayev, who fled Ukraine in May 2022.
According to the SBU, the suspect administered a Facebook group promoting the party and used it to circulate disinformation about Ukraine's army, glorify Russian President Vladimir Putin, and undermine Ukrainian defense efforts.
Murayev was previously accused by the U.K. Foreign Office of being Moscow's choice to lead a possible puppet regime in Kyiv. One day after Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022, Murayev publicly called on Ukraine to surrender.
He was charged with high state treason by the SBU in the summer of 2023.
Another suspect, employed at a factory in Kyiv Oblast, reportedly praised the Russian military in conversations with coworkers. In Kyiv, the SBU detained a Russian national who used the banned Russian social media platform Vkontakte to voice support for the Russian army.
In western Ukraine's Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, a resident of Bohorodchany village was exposed for glorifying Russian troops and justifying the occupation of eastern Ukraine.
The fifth suspect, a driver for a local trading company, allegedly engaged in pro-Kremlin rhetoric and attempted to justify Russian war crimes during work-related travel with colleagues.
Forensic linguistic examinations confirmed the individuals' involvement in spreading subversive content, the SBU said. All five suspects have been charged with justifying, recognizing as lawful, or denying Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine.
They are currently in custody and face up to eight years in prison with the possibility of property confiscation.
Asami Terajima
