The Central District Court of Mykolaiv found in absentia the deputy of “Kherson Regional Duma” Rustem Nimetullaev guilty of collaborationist activity and sentenced him to eight years of imprisonment.
This is stated in the published court decision.
According to the investigation, Nimetullaev, while located in the temporarily occupied territory of Kherson Oblast, voluntarily agreed to run in the illegal elections to the so-called “Kherson Regional Duma” from the Russian party “United Russia”.
The court established that Nimetullaev continued to perform the duties of a deputy, and later was “elected” as head of the occupation committee on national policy, non-profit organizations and interregional relations in the pseudo-entity.
In this pseudo-position he participated in drafting and adopting normative acts for their implementation in the occupied territory and carried out informational work in favor of the occupation structures.
Nimetullaev’s actions were qualified under part 1 of article 28 and part 5 of article 111-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (collaborationist activity committed as part of a group of persons).
The court sentenced him to 8 years of imprisonment without confiscation of property and banned him from holding positions in government bodies and local self-government for 15 years.
Rustem Nimetullaev was born on May 30, 1978. Married, has two children. He has a higher education.
His father – the former head of the Henichesk RDA of Kherson Oblast, Seitumer Nimetullaev. He owns part of his father’s business.
After the Russian seizure of Crimea, Nimetullaev became an adviser to the head of the occupation administration, Serhiy Aksyonov.
In 2022, after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, he wanted «take over» gas stations in the Kherson region together with the then head of the occupation administration of Henichesk, Hennadiy Sivak.
The SBU already had a criminal case against Rustem Nimetullaev. He was charged with state treason committed under martial law.
Nimetullaev tasked the pro-Russian politician from Henichesk, Eduard Kovalenko, with finding spotters and fire adjusters on territories under Ukrainian control. And the information received from Kovalenko, Rustem Nimetullaev passed on to the Russians.