A court has sentenced former Lviv politician and pro-Russian activist Rostyslav Vasylko.
The verdict was handed down by the Halytskyi District Court of Lviv.
Before the Russian invasion, Vasylko built his career in the Communist Party of Ukraine. He led the party’s branch in Lviv, worked as an aide to a member of parliament, and headed the regional Pioneer organization.
In July 2015, he moved to Russian-occupied Crimea, where he voluntarily joined the Russian National Guard, signed a contract, and underwent military training. He later became an intelligence officer in a special forces platoon with the rank of senior sergeant and extended his contract with Russia for ten years.
After Russia launched its full-scale invasion, Vasylko fought against the Armed Forces of Ukraine and helped maintain the occupation regime in the seized territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions.
Investigators found that from January to April 2024, Vasylko directly participated in combat operations in the Kherson region.
The court, in absentia, found Rostyslav Vasylko guilty of treason and collaboration (Articles 111 part 1, 111 part 2, and 111-1 part 7 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
He was sentenced to 15 years in prison with confiscation of all his property.