Kherson City Court handed down a verdict to former lieutenant colonel of the internal service Yevhen Balatskyi, who during the occupation of the city sided with the Russians. For treason and collaborationist activity he was sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment.
This was reported in the court verdict dated March 17, 2026.
The investigation established that before the full-scale invasion Yevhen Balatskyi held the position of head of the supervision and security department at the state institution “Northern Correctional Colony (No. 90)”. However, in April–May 2022 he voluntarily accepted the occupiers’ proposal and headed the regime and supervision department in the illegally established administration of the Penitentiary Service in Kherson Oblast.
In the “position” Balatskyi organized the internal order in detention facilities, conducted searches and inspections among convicts and detainees, and, when necessary, performed the duties of the head of the entire occupation administration.
The court found him guilty under two articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine: treason (part 2 of Art. 111) and voluntary assumption of a position in illegal law enforcement bodies (part 7 of Art. 111-1).
In addition to 15 years of imprisonment, the court imposed additional punishment on Balatskyi: confiscation of all property (including the seized share of an apartment and a Chery Elara car), deprivation of the special rank – lieutenant colonel of the internal service, and a ban on holding positions in government bodies and law enforcement agencies for 15 years.