Former Ukrainian Navy Special Ops Commander Sentenced to 15 Years for Treason

Court Convicts Eduard Shevchenko

According to Главком: On April 1, 2023, the Zavodskyi District Court sentenced Eduard Shevchenko, a former commander of the 73rd Maritime Special Operations Center and an advisor to the mayor of Ochakiv, to 15 years in prison. He was found guilty of state treason and illegal weapons handling. Shevchenko was detained in March 2023 on charges of gathering intelligence for the Russian Federation and attempting to recruit the city's mayor. This case highlights the ongoing internal security challenges Ukraine faces during the war with Russia.

The court convicted Shevchenko under Part 2 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine for treason and Part 1 of Article 263 for illegal weapons handling. In addition to the prison term, the court ordered the confiscation of his property and the payment of 21,000 hryvnias to cover expert examination costs. However, the court acquitted him under Part 1 of Article 111 regarding 2018 events linked to the arrival of a British warship in Odesa.

Eduard Shevchenko spent three years in pre-trial detention before the verdict was announced. Following the court's decision, he stated:

"I understand the content of the verdict, but I do not agree with the court's decision"

and

"plans to appeal the sentence"

. Shevchenko also 'refused a potential prisoner exchange that had been offered to him earlier'.

The SBU Security Service counterintelligence unit arrested Shevchenko on March 7, 2023. According to the investigation, he was collecting intelligence to facilitate the capture of Ochakiv, and Russian military intelligence tasked him with recruiting the city's leadership. Ochakiv Mayor Serhiy Bychkov reported the recruitment attempts to the SBU. The SBU stated that Shevchenko was in contact with a career GRU officer, Serhiy Kolesnikov.

Searches of Shevchenko's property uncovered a covert phone, thermal imagers, and unregistered weapons with ammunition. Eduard Shevchenko was born in 1977 in Kamchatka (RSFSR) and graduated from the Sevastopol Nakhimov Black Sea Higher Naval School in 2000. In early 2014, he commanded a unit of the 73rd Maritime Special Operations Center and from June 2014 participated in combat operations in eastern Ukraine.

• In March 2016, Shevchenko was appointed head of the 73rd Maritime Special Operations Center in Ochakiv.
• In May 2017, a military medical commission diagnosed him with post-traumatic stress disorder.

On September 7, 2017, a court ruled the actions of military leadership regarding the medical commission were unlawful, but on February 26, 2018, the Odesa Administrative Court of Appeal overturned this ruling.

The SBU reported that the investigation established 'a former commander of one of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' special operations centers was a GRU agent. He later obtained a position at the Ochakiv City Council. After the full-scale invasion, Russian military intelligence made contact with the official to conduct intelligence and subversive activities against Ukraine.'

The case of Eduard Shevchenko can be viewed within the context of increasing Russian intelligence activity on Ukrainian territory, especially under conditions of military aggression. His detention and trial underscore the critical importance of combating state treason and the necessity for enhanced security measures at the local level. The sentence may serve as a warning to others potentially involved in similar actions that such crimes will not go unpunished.

The recent sentencing of Eduard Shevchenko underscores the broader issues of espionage and treason within Ukraine, reminiscent of other high-profile cases. For instance, the recent charges against the brother of a former chief justice reveal a long-standing pattern of alleged collaboration with Russian intelligence dating back to 2014. Such incidents highlight the persistent threat of internal betrayal during these tumultuous times. To learn more about this case and its implications, visit another significant treason case.