According to an official announcement by the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, published on Telegram, Volodymyr Saldo, the Russian-appointed “governor” of the temporarily occupied Kherson region, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison. The court found Saldo guilty of violating the laws and customs of war by organizing the systematic theft of Ukrainian agricultural resources. This ruling represents a significant step forward in Ukraine’s ongoing effort to hold top-tier collaborators legally accountable for economic war crimes.
The Kherson Regional Prosecutor’s Office presented exhaustive evidence demonstrating that in the autumn of 2022, Saldo used his illegitimate authority to pressure local enterprises and confiscate their assets. Specifically, in October 2022, he ordered the seizure of agricultural crops stored at the Kherson Bread Products Combine, which belonged to Ukrainian businesses. Under his direct command, occupation authorities and Russian military personnel illegally transported approximately 3,000 tons of grain—valued at nearly 15 million UAH—across the Dnipro River to the Russian-controlled left bank using three cargo barges.
This systematic looting highlights the predatory nature of Russia’s occupation. Beyond military aggression, the Kremlin’s strategy relies on stripping occupied regions of their economic assets to sustain its war machine and feign self-sufficiency. By documenting these acts and securing formal convictions, Ukraine establishes a legal framework for demanding future reparations and demonstrates that economic plundering is treated with the same severity as physical violence.
This conviction marks Saldo’s third 15-year prison sentence. Previously, Ukrainian courts found him guilty of high treason, collaboration, and various offenses against national security. Additionally, earlier this year, prosecutors brought new charges against him for establishing an illegal occupation battalion in the Kherson region. Although these trials are held in absentia, they effectively strip Saldo and his associates of any international legitimacy, confining them permanently within the borders of the Russian Federation or territories under its temporary control.
Ultimately, the judicial system’s persistence sends an unequivocal message to all collaborators: justice is inevitable. Despite Moscow’s attempts to legitimize its occupation through sham appointments, the legal framework of Ukraine, backed by international law, continues to document every violation. These rulings guarantee that when occupied territories are eventually liberated, those who aided the aggressor will face immediate and uncompromising prosecution.