Russian FSB uses shoddily faked video to charge 63-year-old woman abducted from occupied Ukraine with ‘terrorism’

Russia’s occupation ‘Zaporizhzhia oblast prosecutor’ reported on 30 January that it had finalized the ‘indictment’ against a 63-year-old woman whom it is accusing of ‘treason’ and an attempt to commit ‘a terrorist act’.  It is likely that the only ‘evidence’to back the charges against Larysa Havrylenko comes from absurdly implausible video footage that is clearly a montage. 

The so-called investigators are claiming that Havrylenko joined a ‘terrorist group’ created by Ukraine’s SBU, or Security Service and, on SBU instructions, “received two homemade explosive devices for carrying out terrorist acts” and kept these at her home.  She is then accused of having, in October 2023, planted an explosive device under one of a column of Russian defence ministry trucks carrying soldiers.  She was, however, ‘thwarted in this, as is invariably claimed, by the Russian FSB and was ‘detained’. 

She is charged under Russian legislation with ‘treason’ (Article 275 of Russia’s criminal code); ‘involvement in a terrorist group’ (Article 205.4 § 2); ‘planning to carry out a terrorist act’ (Article 205 § 2a and c; and of possession of explosives charges under Article 222.1 § 4.   

Russia is an occupying state and, as such, is strictly prohibited from applying its legislation on occupied territory and from foisting its citizenship.  It is flagrantly violating all such norms and has made it impossible to live, work, receive a pension and / or medical care without taking Russian citizenship.  This forced citizenship is now being used by the aggressor state to accuse a Ukrainian living in her own native land of ‘treason’ with respect to Russia.  Even had there genuinely been such an attempt to blow up a Russian military truck carrying forces of an invading army, this would hardly constitute ‘terrorism’ or ‘involvement in a terrorist group’.

In fact, there is every reason to believe that this is one of an ongoing stream of such ‘FSB-thwarted acts’ placed solely on ‘confessions’ or ‘videos’ extracted through torture and / or threats after a person has been seized and is held incommunicado, and without access to an independent lawyer.

In this case, the Ukrainian publication RIA-Melitopol first reported the inept fabrication of ‘evidence’ back on 26 November 2023.  It posted the supposed ‘proof’, consisting of a clearly staged video in which Havrylenko can be seen, in broad daylight, going up to a truck standing near some kiosks and, despite surrounding vehicles, attaching “a package with explosives”

It would appear that the FSB in occupied Zaporizhzhia oblast have become as intoxicated with their own impunity as those in occupied Crimea.  They all know that plausibility is not required, and have not even bothered to fabricate something a little more credible.

RIA-Melitopol cites its source as reporting that Larysa Harylenko had, in fact, been abducted from her home in occupied Kostiantynivka in the Melitopol raion of Zaporizhzhia oblast. The Russians had come for her after her husband was killed by an explosive device. Havrylenko was taken prisoner, ‘interrogated’ and forced, probably through torture, into ‘confessing; to working for Ukraine’s Military Intelligence. 

The source reported that the FSB had promised to free Havrylenko is she agreed to carry a plastic bag to a Russian truck.  This was then videoed from different angles including from a drone, with the resulting video montage used as ‘evidence’.  Although the FSB do make such promises, they tend to break them immediately, and it seems unlikely that she was then released, in order to immediately be abducted again.  In the vast majority of cases where victims have been able to later speak with an independent lawyer, or who have, later, been released, they have stated that any such staged videos or videoed ‘confessions’ were obtained through torture.  Many report having to make several videos, sometimes even varied ‘confessions’, with this also explaining the montage nature of the alleged ‘evidence’.

The Russians have abducted civilians from all parts of Ukraine that fell under occupation, with some disappearing, and others later claimed to have been ‘arrested’ on insane charges of ‘international terrorism’ , ‘involvement in a terrorist group’, etc.  We know from the testimony of Melitopol resident Yaroslav Zhuk that his videoed ‘confession’ was obtained through savage beatings, electric currents passed through wires attached to delicate parts of the body, including genitals, and other forms of torture.  In April 2024, three Ukrainians from Melitopol Yanina Akulova, who has two young children, Dmytro Sergieiev and Anton Zhukovsky were sentenced to 15 years.  Their videoed 'confessions' were obtained long before Russia even admitted to holding them prisoner.  These are just two of a huge number of such horrific stories. 

The FSB’s belief in their impunity is, unfortunately, accurate.  The indictment against Larysa Havrylenko, carrying a sentence of up to 20 years, is to go before the Southern District Military Court. The latter’s ‘judges’ have been obediently passing long sentences against Ukrainian political prisoners since 2014.  These individuals have, since 2022, also been ignoring any amount of evidence that the charges are flawed, the evidence fabricated and ‘confessions’ obtained through torture, in illegal trials of Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilian hostages abducted sometimes years earlier.