An ophthalmologist from Mariupol was sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment, as SBU press service reports.
In March 2022, Valentina Chekhova betrayed to the Russians seven seriously wounded soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, who were hospitalized at the hospital where she worked.
According to the investigation, this happened after the capture of the hospital. Then the occupiers, led by a Russian soldier with the call sign "Ossetyn", were looking for Ukrainian soldiers among the patients. In order to save the soldiers, medical personnel destroyed their uniforms, documents and military ammunition in advance. After that, the defenders of Mariupol were registered as civilian patients.
However, Chekhova showed them the beds of wounded soldiers during the medical round together with the occupiers. After that, the Russians kidnapped seriously wounded Ukrainian defenders, imprisoned and tortured them. Chekhova also pointed "Ossetyn" to one of the doctors who tried to save the wounded soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Russians took the manʼs documents and car and threatened to prepare for a "slow death." Later, the doctor managed to escape.
For cooperation, the occupiers appointed a female collaborator to the position of head of the ophthalmology department.
The court found Chekhova guilty under Part 2 of Art. 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (treason committed under martial law) and sentenced her to life imprisonment in absentia. She is currently in the occupied territory of Ukraine.