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50-568: Until 18 July 2020, Balakliia was the administrative center of Balakliia Raion . The raion was abolished in July 2020 as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, which reduced the number of raions of Kharkiv Oblast to seven. The area of Balakliia Raion was merged into Izium Raion . The land that is now Balakliia has been inhabited since ancient times. Settlements from the Neolithic Age and Bronze Age have been preserved. The name "Balakliia"

100-593: A former activist of Viktor Medvedchuk's Ukrainian Choice organization, became the city's chairman. Andriy Klochko, a member of the Henichesk District Council from OPZZ, was appointed "acting mayor" in Henichesk. Of the 15 headmen of the Henichesk district, only 5 went to cooperate with the Russian military. Nova Kakhovka under Russian administration was headed by a small entrepreneur Vladimir Leontiev, and Skadovsk

150-586: Is allied with the Russian-installed authorities in occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast ; it's led by Yevgeny Balitsky , whose son is a member of the battalion. As of January 2023 the battalion consists of over 600 soldiers. The mayor of Kupiansk , Kharkiv Oblast , Hennadiy Matsegora, went to the side of the Russian Federation. The head of Balakliia , Ivan Stolbovy, agreed to cooperate with the Russian authorities. On 28 February 2022, Oleksandr Bryukhanov,

200-643: Is derived from the Balakliia River  [ uk ] , a tributary of the Donets . The river's name in turn comes from a Turkic word meaning 'fish river'. The Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary judges from the name of the settlement that the town was originally a Tatar settlement. In 1571, the Moscow government established a watch service on the Seversky Donets and Oskil rivers-seven watches whose task

250-534: The Kharkiv –Balakliia railway line four days after liberation. Electric power was restored to the town on 26 September 2022. On 25 November 2022, the Vinnytsia city council allocated 10 million hryvnias in funds to help rebuild Balaklia. The funds were to be used, specifically, to restore housing and improve heating services ahead of the winter. Balakliia Raion Balakliia Raion ( Ukrainian : Балаклійський район )

300-601: The Russian invasion of Ukraine there has been military and political collaborationism between Ukrainian citizens and officials and the Russian military. As of August 2024, nearly 2,000 Ukrainians were convicted of collaborating with Russia. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, the Verkhovna Rada adopted two laws on collaborationism, which were later signed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy : The law on collaborationism has been discussed since

350-662: The Russian invasion of Ukraine , Russian forces captured the town. The then-Mayor Ivan Stolbovyy  [ uk ] initially stayed in the occupied town and collaborated with the Russian occupation forces. "[I]t’s complicated," he told Balakliia residents, "It’s war." He urged the town's inhabitants not to engage in looting or "terrorist acts". On 28 March, the government of Ukraine began criminal proceedings against Stolbovyy on charges of treason and collaboration with Russia . In early April 2022, Stolbovyy fled with his family to Russia. The senior military occupation officer in Balakliia

400-555: The Security Service of Ukraine charged former MP Nestor Shufrych for treason and collaboration with Russian intelligence . The Washington Post noted that the FSB unit in Ukraine began expanding in 2019 and was actively recruiting supporters (both ideologues and those working for money) in security agencies. It was believed that the corruption and deep infiltration of Russian agents in

450-514: The State Bureau of Investigation opened about 200 cases for collaborationism. On 3 April 2022, the Prosecutor General of Ukraine Irina Venediktova announced that 99 people were in custody on suspicion of treason and 4 people on suspicion of collaborationism. On 7 April 2022, National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksiy Danilov said that on behalf of President Zelensky, work

500-581: The Stenka Razin Rebellion  [ uk ] (1676—1681), the Bulavin Rebellion (1707–1708), and Pugachev's Rebellion (1773–1775). From 1817 to 1891, the settlement was known as Novo-Serpukhiv. By the early 20th century, Balakliia had a population of 5,197. Soviet control was established over Balakliia in December 1917, and it received urban status in 1938. During World War II , the town

550-596: The Union of Left Forces party, Oleksandr Saulenko, took on the "temporary duties of the mayor" and declared himself the "People's Mayor" of Berdiansk. A criminal case was initiated against Volodymyr Rykun, the head of Mykhailo community of Zaporizhzhia region, who stated that he went to the negotiations with the Russian military. In September 2022, the Pavel Sudoplatov Battalion was formed. The battalion consists of pro-Russian Ukrainians and foreign volunteers. It

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600-849: The Chesno movement added 47 collaborating politicians to its list: 12 in the Donetsk region, 10 in Kharkiv region, 9 in Kherson region, 8 in Zaporizhzhia region, 3 each in Luhansk and Sumy regions, 2 in Mykolaiv region. By party affiliation, most of the collaborators were members of the pro-Russian Opposition Platform - For Life (19 out of 34 members of political parties) Following the invasion, Russia began to organize military-civilian administrations in occupied territories, despite

650-586: The Russian military was supported by the mayor of Stanytsia Luhanska , Albert Zinchenko, the mayor of Rubizhne , Serhiy Khortiv , the head of the Markov community Igor Dzyuba, the head of the village of Melovoye Oleg Savchenko, and the head of the Svatovsky District Council Lyudmila Rusanova. In Mariupol, Donetsk region, which was partially controlled by the Russian military, 10 Mariupol city councillors, one Lyman city councillor,

700-448: The SBU would undermine Ukraine's ability to resist invasion. Some of them complied with the agreements: for example, SBU head for Crimea Oleg Kulinich handed over internal SBU files to Russia for two years and, on the night before the invasion, blocked the distribution of intelligence that an attack on the Kherson region from Crimea would begin in a few hours. After 24 February, however, many of

750-515: The Ukrainian media called the former driver of the legally elected mayor Kolykhaiev. Other members of the Salvation Committee include Kirill Stremousov , a pro-Russian far-right blogger and anti-vaxxer , who won 1.3% of the vote in the 2020 Kherson mayoral elections. Other members of the committee were associated with the movement of the oligarch, Vladimir Putin's godfather Viktor Medvedchuk ,

800-694: The Washington Post, it is unknown what should be done with them. Thus, according to the newspaper, some locals received Russian passports in order to receive benefits, while others received Russian wage supplements for agreeing to continue working. This situation has led to social tensions and conflicts In May 2022, the head of the Mykolaiv District Prosecutor's Office was detained by the SBU for passing on to an unnamed Russian blogger, whose fan he was, data on captive Russian servicemen, military and civilian casualties, and passwords for moving around

850-458: The adoption of administrative or organizational decisions, as well as for those who spoke out in support of Russia in the media and the Internet. As an additional measure of punishment, confiscation of property may be applied. The Ukrainian authorities noted that they were not going to persecute people who were forced to work in the occupied territories — public utilities employees, doctors, etc. At

900-400: The banned Communist Party of Ukraine and various pro-Russian organizations, had problems with the Ukrainian special services. In Kakhovka , the Russian military seized the city council on 1 April and appointed Pavel Filipchuk , a former deputy of the Kherson regional council from the pro-Russian Opposition Platform - For Life!, as the head of the city occupation administration. (OPLE), who

950-530: The beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war in 2014, but the Ukrainian authorities feared that too many residents of the occupied territories could fall under its action. To prosecute collaborators, articles on treason, financing of terrorism, obstruction of the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, etc. were used. The new law made it possible to impose punishment for the very fact of cooperation with

1000-497: The beginning of the invasion in February 2022, the opposite situation developed: society and political forces consolidated around the sovereignty of Ukraine. In the occupied territories, many politicians who previously spoke from pro-Russian positions refused to cooperate with the Russian military, and the occupation administrations were formed from among insignificant politicians, petty officials and random people. In February-June 2022,

1050-485: The cases reflected in the official register concerned denial of Russian aggression, another part concerned officials' cooperation with the occupiers, and only a few concerned active assistance to the Russian military (for example, transmitting information about AFU positions). In the vast majority of cases, the defendants pleaded guilty and received minimal punishment - suspended sentences, a ban on holding elective positions and certain types of activities. Representatives of

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1100-545: The city's "police". The leadership of the community noted that the employees of the city executive committee refused to cooperate with Russian appointees. On 12 March, in Henichesk , the Russian military ousted the legally elected mayor and appointed Gennady Sivak from Kramsk as the head of the occupation administration. Andriy Klochko, a deputy of the district council from the Opposition Platform For Life party,

1150-479: The deputy of the city council from the party "Opposition platform - For life" Kostyantyn Ivashchenko , along with nine representatives of the party, agreed to cooperate. The mayor of Sviatohirsk , Volodymyr Bandura, have also agreed to cooperate with the Russian military during this time. In Volnovakha during the first months of the occupation, the Russian military replaced 4 leaders of the city, in May 2022 this position

1200-623: The enlisted enforcers refused to carry out FSB missions. Moreover, when the invasion began, the Ukrainian security agencies began to work much more efficiently - among other things, the personal example of Volodymyr Zelensky, who remained in the capital, where the fighting was taking place, contributed to this. During the large-scale purges in February-August 2022, more than 800 officers of law enforcement agencies up to generals were detained in more than 650 cases of treason (the conspiracy uncovered in April

1250-430: The fact that Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Russia's plans do not include the occupation of Ukrainian territories. Volodymyr Saldo , the mayor of Kherson between 2002 and 2012, and a supporter of repressions against the opposition in 2014, became the head of the occupation administration of the Kherson region. In the local elections in 2020, Saldo lost to Ihor Kolykhaiev , and his party received only 7% of

1300-431: The including anyone affiliated with businessman and Vladimir Putin's close friend, Viktor Medvedchuk , left Ukraine even before the invasion started: they are Oleg Voloshyn , Vadim Rabinovich , Nataliya Korolevska , Igor Surkis . Some, like Ilya Kiva , moved to Russia. Medvedchuk himself, who escaped House arrest , which was a restrictive measure for treason and attempted plunder of national resources in annexed Crimea,

1350-464: The leadership of former People's Deputy Yevgeny Balitsky , Melitopol city council members Oleksandr Falk and Halyna Danylchenko (who formally headed the city's "committee of people's elected officials"). In Enerhodar , a parallel government body, the "Public Council of Self-Organization of the City," was created under the leadership of city council member Andriy Shevchyk. In Berdiansk , a representative of

1400-586: The legal community noted that such punishment for the lightest forms of collaborationism was apparently intended as a kind of lustration to exclude collaborators from politics and local government in the future. On 16 March 2022, the movement "launched" the database of traitors of Ukraine "DerzhZradnyky". As of 4 April 2022, it contained 70 names. On 19 March 2022, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine reported that it had data on 245 people who may be helping Russia. As of 26 March 2022,

1450-508: The legally elected mayor Ivan Fedorov was kidnapped by the Russian military in Melitopol , his acting Galina Danilchenko was appointed - a deputy of the City Council from the pro-Russian "Party of Regions", and then the "Opposition Bloc". She also became the first civil servant who was formally charged with collaborationism. The Russian military then formed the government in the city under

1500-511: The mayor of Pivdenne , was detained on suspicion of treason. Mayor of Izium Valery Marchenko reported that two deputies of the city council and the ex-mayor had gone over to the side of the occupiers. According to one of the Izium City Council officials, Anatoly Fomichevsky, a deputy from the OP-ZZh, helped the Russian military enter the city along an unprotected road. In Luhansk Oblast ,

1550-594: The military. Thousands of residents within a 10 km radius around the complex were evacuated in the aftermath. By the end of March, the fires and resulting arms explosions at the ammunition depot in Balakliia had damaged almost 250 buildings. On 18 April, Balakliia and nearby villages were cleared of unexploded ordnance . On 3 May 2018, there was a new series of explosions at the depot after dry grass caught fire. 1,500 locals were evacuated, and no casualties were reported. On 15 November 2019, another series of explosions killed two Ukrainian soldiers. On 3 March 2022, during

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1600-473: The occupiers without the need to prove, for example, damage to the security of the state (as in the case of treason). Depending on the corpus delicti, Article 111-1 of the Criminal Code provides for penalties of varying severity. The minimum is the deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for people holding positions in illegal government bodies that are not related to

1650-592: The region. According to Meduza's estimates, key posts in the occupation administrations in Zaporizhzhia Oblast have been occupied by people unknown even to local residents. So in March 2022 (under the current Ukrainian authorities), Vladimir Rogov , a radical pro-Russian activist and former ally of Oleg Tsarev , who ended up in Russia as part of a prisoner exchange in 2014, proclaimed himself Mayor of Melitopol. After

1700-433: The same time, policemen and judges who continued to work after the occupation unequivocally fall under the law. Meduza journalists noted that the Russian authorities were probably acting on the basis of the notions of 2014, when the political confrontation in Ukraine allowed them to win over the elites in some regions, members of Viktor Yanukovych 's Party of Regions , and some grassroots movements. However, after

1750-625: The town, Ukrainian officials said they had discovered torture chambers where Ukrainian prisoners were held. Serhiy Bolvinov, head of the Kharkiv Region National Police Investigation Department, said that 40 people had been detained there. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that more than ten similar torture chambers had been discovered in the Kharkiv Region. Investigations also began against more alleged collaborators. Diesel trains were running on

1800-415: The vote in the regional council and 11% in the regional one. After the occupation in March 2022, Saldo became one of the founders of the collaborationist "Committee of Salvation for Peace and Order", and a month later, the Russian military seized the city council of Kherson and appointed Saldo as the head of the occupation administration. The city administration of Kherson was headed by Oleksandr Kobets, whom

1850-604: The walls of the military base. On 6 September 2022, Ukrainian forces launched a counteroffensive towards Balakliia, reportedly retaking adjacent Verbivka and besieging the town. After crossing the Donets River , men of the 71st Jaeger Brigade led an offensive on Balakliia, coming from the direction of Husarivka . On 8 September, the Ukrainian flag was raised over the town after a brief battle , and on 10 September, Ukraine announced it had established control. After recapturing

1900-418: Was Colonel Ivan Popov ; the commandant charged with "keeping the local civilian population in check" went under the pseudonym "V. Granit" ( Granite ), and oversaw at least one interrogation center where Ukrainian civilians were "beaten and questioned using electric shocks", according to Balakliia residents and Ukrainian government officials. According to a Reuters investigation published in April 2023, "Granit"

1950-622: Was arrested on 12 April 2022 while trying to leave Ukraine. On 6 March 2022, the Prosecutor General of Ukraine Iryna Venediktova announced her suspicions of Kiva. On 15 March 2022, 335 deputies voted for his expulsion. He is currently wanted for treason. In July 2022, Zelensky dismissed the heads of two key agencies - the Prosecutor General Irina Venediktova and the head of the SBU Ivan Bakanov . The reason

2000-441: Was headed by a Russian citizen Sergei Shvaiko, who previously worked as a builder. The Washington Post reported that the Ukrainian authorities after the capture of Kherson faced problems related to ambivalent attitude or even sympathy towards Russia among many residents: some of them fled the city when Russian troops retreated, reducing the human resource for rebuilding the city, while the other part stayed behind and, according to

2050-671: Was merged into Izium Raion . The last estimate of the raion population was 78,337 (2020 est.) At the time of disestablishment, the raion consisted of three hromadas : Collaboration with Russia during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine Eastern Ukraine campaign Southern Ukraine campaign Other regions Naval operations Spillover & related incidents Eastern Ukraine campaign Southern Ukraine campaign Other regions Spillover & related incidents Eastern Ukraine campaign Southern Ukraine campaign Other regions Naval operations Spillover & related incidents During

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2100-618: Was occupied by a former security official, businessman and MP from the Opposition Platform for Life, Artur Antsiferov. The first case of collaborationism was sent to court on 30 March 2022, where a resident of Kramatorsk published a video in TikTok in which he denied the fact of the Russian invasion and called to support the actions of the aggressor country. By mid-October 2022, Ukrainian law enforcement agencies had opened more than 2,000 cases, and courts had handed down 116 verdicts. Most of

2150-497: Was occupied by the Wehrmacht between 9 December 1941, and 5 February 1943. On 23 March 2017, 20,000 inhabitants of Balakliia were evacuated after a series of massive explosions  [ uk ] erupted at a nearby arms depot of the Balakliia military installation, which stockpiles missile and artillery ammunition. The disaster led to the death of one woman civilian; five other civilians were injured. There were no casualties among

2200-456: Was part of the team of the chairman of the regional council Vladislav Manger , suspected of involvement in the murder of Kherson activist Kateryna Handziuk . After a series of unsuccessful attempts to be elected mayor of Kakhovka, Filipchuk moved to Sochi and returned shortly after the invasion began. Oleg Bukhovets, an ex-deputy of the district council from the Party of Regions, was appointed head of

2250-627: Was reported by the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, Oleksiy Danilov ). According to the Mayor of Melitopol , Ivan Fedorov , some apartment building managers provide the Russian military with lists of empty apartments. Immediately after the seizure of the village of Dymer in Kyiv Oblast , a local resident, Oleksandr Kharchenko, headed the collaboration administration. After

2300-543: Was the large number of collaborators in both agencies, including high-ranking security officials such as Kulinich or Andrei Naumov, the former head of the internal security chief who fled on the eve of the invasion and was soon detained in Serbia on money laundering charges. In the ensuing reshuffles, Zelensky replaced heads of the SBU in Zhytomyr, Kharkiv, Sumy, Poltava, Zakarpattia and Dnipropetrovsk regions. On 15 September 2023,

2350-468: Was the largest raion ( district ) in Kharkiv Oblast of Ukraine . The area of the raion was 1,986.4 km , corresponding to 6.3% of the total territory of Kharkiv Oblast . Its administrative center was the town of Balakliia . The raion was abolished on 18 July 2020 as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, which reduced the number of raions of Kharkiv Oblast to seven. The area of Balakliia Raion

2400-401: Was the pseudonym of Valery Sergeyevich Buslov, a lieutenant colonel in the military police. The occupation force occupied a "run-down vehicle repair complex" on the town's outskirts and used it as their command center for the occupation. Russian soldiers distributed flyers "warning of Ukraine’s descent into Nazi rule" if the Ukrainian government regained control of the town, and "scribbled" on

2450-615: Was to report the approach of the Tatars. A third watch was built at the mouth of the Balakliika River. The modern history of the settlement began in 1663, when it became populated by East Slavs and served as a guard post against raids from Crimean Tatars . Starting in 1669 or 1670, the settlement served as the center of the Balakliia Regiment  [ uk ] , which existed until 1677. Residents of Balakliia took an active part in

2500-529: Was underway on a register of collaborators, which would soon be published. The first traitors were included in the register on 12 April. By August 2024, Ukraine's SBU had opened more than 9,000 criminal proceedings related to collaboration with Russia, and nearly 2,000 Ukrainians had been convicted. The invasion was supported by a People's Deputy from the already banned pro-Russian party Opposition Platform — For Life , Ilya Kiva , calling for "liberation of Ukraine from Western occupation." A number of MPs from

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