Halya Coynash, 27 April 2026
Russia has unleashed terror against civilians on all occupied territory yet abducts and charges Ukrainians with ‘terrorism’ for acts of resistance against entirely legitimate targets
Propaganda video, supposedly of one of the ’arrests’, the four on ’trial’ Serhiy Harkusha, Serhiy Yevtushenko, Ihor Haranin (top left) and Olena Ro
Almost exactly three years after he was abducted from his home in occupied Melitopol, Serhiy Harkusha has rejected the supposed ‘confession’ read out in a Russian court. He explained that after days of torture and beatings, he had signed the document thrust in front of him without reading it.
Serhiy Harkusha (b. 31.12.1971) is on trial before Russia’s notorious Southern District Military Court together with three other residents of Melitopol: Olena Roi; Serhiy Yevtushenko (b. 24.03.1968( and Ihor Haranin (b. 26.12.1987) Reports call Harkusha and Roi ‘Russian citizens’, however this could simply mean that the two had taken the Russian passports which the invaders are foisting on all residents of occupied territory.
This is one of a series of illegal ‘trials’ staged by an invading state which has unleashed terror against civilians on all occupied territory and then abducts and charges Ukrainians with ‘terrorism’ for acts of resistance against entirely legitimate targets. Although the charges, illegally laid under articles of Russia’s criminal code, against the four Melitopol residents, vary slightly, they appear to be linked with the partisan killing on 27 April 2023 of Oleksandr Mishchenko, a collaborator installed by the Russian invaders as ‘deputy head of police’ in Melitopol, as well as with an attack on another traitor installed in the occupation administration, Dmytro Trukhin.
Mediazona reports that at the last court hearing on 21 April 2026, Serhiy Harkusha described how he had been beaten for the first several (4-5) days following his effective abduction and had been held all that time with a bag over his head. After such torture and clearly understanding that it would be continued if he did not ‘cooperate’, Harkusha signed the protocol of his alleged ‘testimony’, “without reading it.”
During the hearing, Sergei Aidinov, a Russian prosecutor involved in multiple trials of Crimean Tatar and other Ukrainian political prisoners, read out the protocol from Harkusha’s ‘interrogation, and asked if Harkusha confirmed his ‘testimony’ as per that protocol, supposedly given in the presence of a lawyer on 3 May 2023.
Harkusha stated that he had not given any testimony, that at that time he had been held in a basement, and that he had seen his so-called lawyer Alexander Tsokalo only about three times altogether. There was a room with a big table where he had been brought to sign documents. He said that an ‘investigator with the surname Marmalyuk had simply thrust some papers in front of him to sign, telling him that if he wanted everything to be OK, he should sign. There was no suggestion that he should read them first.
The trial is before judge Kirill Nikolaevich Krivtsov, another individual who has played a significant role in Russia’s persecution of Crimean Tatar and other Ukrainian political prisoners. He intervened after Harkusha said that the ‘investigator’ had told him to sign if he wanted everything to be OK. He asked Harkusha if he had interpreted the ‘investigator’s words as a threat, and if so, “on what grounds?”
On the grounds of the basement and the beatings, he said, explaining that he had been subjected to such beatings by men in camouflage gear and balaclavas for 4 – 5 days Asked by Krivtsov if the men who “detained him” had identified themselves, Harkusha replied that they had not. He had only discovered later, by 3 May, that they were from Russia’s FSB.
He added that his supposed lawyer, Alexander Tsokalo had only turned up about 40 minutes after Harkusha signed the documents. He had glanced through them and then left his signature, saying that he “can’t help in any way” and that he is primarily involved in civil cases. Harkusha said that he had not mentioned the beatings to either Tsokalo, or to the ‘investigator’, understanding it would be worse for him if he did.
There was a break in the hearing after this, with Serhiy Yevtushenko) and suffering from sugar diabetes, becoming very unwell. He had complained of this for the past three days, yet, typically, had received no help from the SIZO ore remand prison paramedic who simply “suggested that he approach a urologist.” Although he did eventually agree, Krivtsov had initially refused to call an ambulance, with Yevtushenko saying, bitterly, that to them he’s “a Ukrainian citizen, not a person”.
Later, Harkusha added that in the autumn of 2024, another FSB ‘investigator’, with the surname Gubin, had come to him and got him to sign new documents. He had, he said, agreed to sign the ‘confession’, so that the case was passed as soon as possible to the court – better, clearly, than any dealings with the FSB.
In court, Harkusha admitted involvement in the attack on Mishchenko and claimed ‘repentance’. He denied other episodes and stressed that Serhiy Yevtshenko had not been a member of the supposed ‘terrorist group’.
Any ‘confession’ provided by men and women held in Russian captivity, even when on trial, need to be treated with caution. What is, however, certain is that Russia has no right, as an occupying state, to prosecute Ukrainians under Russian legislation, and to claim that the assassination of a traitor, installed in a high position by the invaders, is ‘terrorism’. It is also typical after any attack on Russian-installed ‘officials’, military leaders, etc., that the FSB grab people with minimal or no grounds. Under the current regime, they can be confident that any indictment, however implausible, will result in convictions.
The indictment against the four was passed to the Southern District Military Court in November 2024. In announcing this, the Russian prosecutor general said that they were accused of “joining a terrorist organization created by Ukraine’s security service in 2022”, carrying out surveillance of Russian-installed officials for their supposed handlers and organizing the two above-mentioned attacks. It is claimed that they were seized in May 2023, although at least Harkusha was abducted on 27 April 2023. The charges are of ‘involvement in a terrorist organization’ under Article 205.4 § 2 of Russia’s criminal code; of a terrorist attack (Article 205 § 2) and of explosives charges under Articles 222.1 § 4 and 223.1 § 4.
All four are on the Memorial Support for Political Prisoners Project’s list of people whose cases are viewed as most likely politically motivated.
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The saintly Halya Coynash has been documenting putinaZi atrocities and depravity since 2014.
Her job is so terrible and soul-destroying, but she just keeps going.
All of these many thousands of wicked criminals must face the ultimate penalty; one way or another.
All their wickedness cannot save their trashy nation from its inevitable downfall, just like it didn’t save the Third Reich’s.