Former Education Minister and State Registration Service head sentenced in absentia to 15 and 12 years in prison, respectively – SBU

Former Education and Science Minister, Dmytro Tabachnyk, and former State Registration Service head, Dmytro Vorona, were sentenced in absentia to 15 and 12 years in prison, respectively, Ukraine’s Security Service reported on Telegram on March 21.

The convicts' property, valued at more than UAH 200 million ($5.1 million), was confiscated.

According to the SBU, Tabachnyk and Vorona are hiding in Russia and the temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories, where they are continuing their subversive activities.

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The investigation revealed that Tabachnyk provided Oleg Kozlov, an FSB officer of the 9th Directorate of the 5th Operational Information Department, with his forecasts of the socio-political situation in Ukraine during the war.

He also advised the Russian-appointed “heads” of the occupied parts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhya oblasts, Volodymyr Saldo and Yevhen Balytsky, on holding pseudo-referendums.

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Tabachnyk also helped "reform" the Ukrainian education sector to Russian standards. He was appointed an "advisor" to Balytskyi and was accepted into the local branch of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin's United Russia party.

Vorona, who also served as an advisor to Balytskyi, helped the invaders create the occupation authorities and was behind the proposal to Putin to reward Russian military and collaborators involved in the seizure of southern Ukrainian territory. Later he became a so-called "Russian senator from Zaporizhzhya Oblast" and moved to Moscow.

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Both traitors were involved in looting and confiscating the property of farmers on the occupied territories.

The court found Tabachnyk and Vorona guilty under three articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:

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P. 2 of Article 111 (treason committed under martial law)

P. 1 of Article 111-2 (aiding the aggressor state)

P. 2 Article 28, part 1 Art. 438 (violation of the laws and customs of war).

The SBU is actively working to apprehend the convicts and bring them to justice.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine