The court probably for the first time acquitted a woman accused of treason — she was suspected of handing over the Ukrainian military to the Russians

The woman was released from custody right in the courtroom on November 8, photo: MIPL

In Mykolaiv, the court acquitted 54-year-old Svitlana Ohol, accused of high treason. She was suspected of passing on information about Ukrainian servicemen to Russian troops.

This is stated in the text of the verdict of the Leninskyi District Court dated November 8, NikVesti writes.

Svitlana Ohol is a resident of the village of Kashpero-Mykolaivka in the Bashtanka district of the Mykolaiv region. The settlement was under the control of the Russian army for only 12 days from March 4 to 16.

The Russians imposed a curfew and forbade the locals to leave their homes during their entire stay in the settlement in the evening. However, they tried to find informants among the residents who could provide information about the participants of the ATO and pro-Ukrainian residents.

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According to the investigation, one of those who agreed to cooperate was Svitlana Ohol. For this, she received 500 hryvnias from the occupiers and permission to move around the village.

At the court, the woman reported that she met the Russians only on March 8, when they began searching houses, looking for saboteurs. She was at the house of her neighbors at that time, and only on March 9, when she was going home, a Kadyrovets man approached her, who probably put money in her pocket, because she herself did not remember it for sure.

She also noted that apart from this episode, she did not directly communicate with the military, except in cases of checking documents.

Ohol denied information about the presence of soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the village, and the fact that she spent the night with Russian servicemen in the house of one of her neighbors, whom she had previously kicked out.

«The mayor warned what she would say to the question of where the men are: they are working in Poland. And she answered like this once when Russian soldiers asked her,» says the text of the verdict.

She also denied that the occupiers gave her permission to move around the village during the day, because she wore a white armband like everyone else. When the Russians began to retreat on March 14, they left behind their property, including the rations that she and her neighbors took home. The next day, one of the neighbors together with her husband and Ukrainian soldiers called Ohol to the yard, and she publicly accused Ohol of handing over the lists to the Russians.

On the same day, she was detained and taken to Kirovohrad region.

Even during the questioning of the witnesses at the court, none of them directly indicated that Svitlana Ohol really gave any data to the Russians.

In particular, the woman who accused her of collaborating with the Russians was informed at the court that her husband and their other neighbors were taken to the school for questioning by the Russians.

Russian soldiers told the man that Ohol could provide information about people who spoke negatively about the Russian military. She was seen in the company of soldiers and, according to the soldiers, she drank alcohol with them and received cigarettes from them. The villagers referred to the words of the Russians that Ohol allegedly works for them.

«After the liberation of the village, she (witness, — note) against the background of indignation, in the presence of Ukrainian soldiers, asked why she did it, and she answered: «what would you do?», in response to this she used force,» it is stated in the text of the sentence.

However, the court notes that the testimonies of witnesses, which are based on the words of the Russian military, cannot be considered as substantiated evidence of guilt. And receiving 500 hryvnias is not considered an act of cooperation, as there is no evidence that they were a reward for actions against Ukraine, the court points out. Therefore, doubts regarding the proof of the woman's guilt are interpreted in her favor.

Svetlana Ohol was found not guilty of the crime and released from custody.

Read also: The factory district court of Mykolaiv once again extended the house arrest of the head of the village of Pervomaiske Serhii Rozsokha and his deputy, deputy Dmytro Koshel.