Under the procedural guidance of the Kherson Regional Prosecutor's Office, a pseudo-police officer from Melitopol has been notified of suspicion in absentia. He is accused of cruel treatment of the civilian population (Part 2 of Article 28, Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

According to the investigation, the suspect held the position of "chief of staff" in the illegal "city department of the Melitopol district police department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Zaporizhzhia region." 

In the summer of 2022, he was in occupied Kherson and, together with other Russian military personnel, detained a civilian man on one of the city's streets to find out the whereabouts of the victim's relative. The man provided a false address to protect his family. 

After uncovering the deception, the victim was taken to a pier, where he was handcuffed to a metal pipe and beaten. 

Later, the detainee was transported to the city center, where psychological pressure was applied on the stairs of an administrative building — he was forced to sing the Russian anthem and was beaten. 

Then, by the order of the suspect, the man was imprisoned in a sewage shaft of one of the hospitals, about 5 meters deep. The shaft had no ventilation, sleeping space, or restroom facilities. Access to food and water was also restricted by the occupiers. 

After a week, the exhausted man was left out in the open.

The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by the Security Service of Ukraine in the Kherson region, with operational support from the Main Investigation Department of the Security Service in the region.

Note: According to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a lawful manner and established by a court verdict.