Ukraine suspects Russian-installed Kherson official of war crime over transfer of children to Crimea
Ukrainian authorities have notified Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-installed head of occupied parts of Kherson Oblast, and two alleged accomplices of war crime suspicions over the unlawful transfer of Ukrainian students from occupied Kherson to Crimea in October 2022, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced on October 26.
According to investigators, the students were taken from the Kherson Vocational Shipbuilding Lyceum on October 7, 2022, under the pretext of receiving treatment or recreation at facilities in Russian-occupied Crimea.
The students were first transported by bus to Kherson's river port, then taken by boat across the Dnipro River to the eastern bank, where additional vehicles were waiting to take them to Crimea, the SBU said.
Investigators allege that Saldo enlisted Viktor Loginov, a former Russian serviceman who held the position of deputy director at the Russian-controlled lyceum, to help organize the transfer.
Loginov allegedly entered false information into the school's records to conceal the movement of the students.
A second suspect, lyceum teacher Mykola Dolzhenko, allegedly accompanied the students throughout the journey to Crimea.
Alleged violation of Geneva Convention
The SBU said the transfer violated Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits forcible transfers and deportations of protected persons from occupied territory, subject to limited exceptions.
All three suspects were notified in absentia under provisions of Ukraine's Criminal Code covering violations of the laws and customs of war committed by a group acting in prior conspiracy.
The offense carries a potential sentence of up to 12 years in prison.
The suspects remain in Russian-occupied territory, according to the SBU.
The agency did not specify how many students were transferred or provide information about their current whereabouts.
Saldo previously sentenced in other cases
Saldo, a former mayor of Kherson who became a senior Russian occupation official, has previously received prison sentences in absentia in separate Ukrainian criminal proceedings.
He was sentenced to 15 years in November 2023 for treason and collaboration-related offenses, and received further 15-year sentences in April and June 2026, including in a case concerning the theft of Ukrainian grain.
The new allegations concerning the transfer of children are a separate criminal case and have not resulted in a conviction.
Ukraine's Security Service said the investigation was conducted under the supervision of the Prosecutor General's Office.