The Prosecutor General of Ukraine informed MP Oleksiy Kovaliov of suspicion of treason and aiding the aggressor state.
The State Bureau of Investigation reported this on Wednesday, July 6.
Therefore, Kovaliov faces a sentence of up to 15 years or life imprisonment, with confiscation of property.
Who is Oleksiy Kovaliov?
He is an MP of Ukraine who was elected in one of the districts of Kherson oblast in 2019. In the parliament, he was a member of the "Servant of the People" faction and was a member of the committee on finance, tax and customs policy. After the start of a large-scale war, Kovaliov went to the occupied Kherson oblast. On June 8, a case was opened against him for collaborationism. The State Bureau of Investigation stated that enterprises controlled by Kovaliov supply food to the temporarily occupied Crimea and sell it on the territory of the Russian Federation.
The Servant of the People party expelled him from its faction, appealed to the Verkhovna Rada to strip Kovaliov of his mandate, and called on the Prosecutor Generalʼs Office and the SBU to take Kovaliovʼs case to court as soon as possible and to confiscate his property and assets.
- On June 22, in the occupied part of Kherson oblast, in the city of Hola Prystan, an attempt was made on Kovaliov — his car was blown up. The head of Ukrainian military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, confirmed that a "certain action" had been taken against Kovaliov. Later, he appeared on video and declared about "sabotage by the Ukrainian special services."
- On July 4, Kovaliov received the position of "deputy chairman for agriculture" in the occupation government of Kherson oblast.