The prosecutorʼs office announced in absentia that Anatoliy Stepants, the mayor of occupied Vovchansk, was suspected of treason. He sided with the occupiers.
This was reported by the press service of the Prosecutor Generalʼs Office.
"According to the investigation, the official, who sided with the Russian Federation, supported the creation of the so-called" temporary civil administration of the Kharkiv region "and voluntarily participated in its activities. On June 3, 2022, in occupied Kupyansk, he took part in an event at which an illegal body was created, ”the agency notes.
The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by the local SBU department.
Information about Stepants during the occupation of Vovchansk was contradictory. Back in early March, he stressed that despite the Russiansʼ capture of the city council, he and his team remain Ukrainian. In April, information emerged that Stepants had been abducted, tortured, and videotaped.