Ukraine detains forestry official in Kharkiv for aiding Wagner fighters PHOTO

Ukraine’s Security Service (SSU) and the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) have detained an assistant forester at a state forestry enterprise in Kharkiv region who collaborated with Wagner Group fighters in April 2022 and took part in an attack on a Ukrainian military vehicle near Izium.

Prior to the attack, the suspect provided the enemy with information about the route of Ukrainian troops through a forested area, supplied them with weapons, and personally took part in the attack, Caliber.Az reports citing SSU.

To conceal his activities, he attempted to gain the trust of fighters from one of the territorial defence brigades by offering his “assistance” and claiming that he knew the area well.

After the Izium district was liberated in autumn 2022, the man went into hiding. However, SSU and SBI officers documented his involvement in the crime, tracked his whereabouts, and detained him. He has been formally charged with high treason committed under martial law.

The suspect is currently being held in custody and faces a potential sentence of life imprisonment with confiscation of property.

By Jeyhun Aghazada