“The case of the seizure of Kharkiv Oblast. For what is the second year of trial of former special agent Roman Dudin – BBC Ukraine November 25, 22:44 Share: Roman Dudin (Photo: Dudin’s Facebook) In the early morning of February 24, 2022, Russian troops not only shelled Kharkiv, but also began a ground operation to capture the region . In a matter of weeks, Izyum was occupied, and later – Kupyansk and Balaklia. The Russians failed to capture Kharkiv itself, although they tried”, — write on: ua.news
The case of the seizure of Kharkiv Oblast. For the second year, the former special service officer Roman Dudin is being tried – BBC Ukraine Roman Dudin (Photo: Facebook Dudin)
In the early morning of February 24, 2022, Russian troops not only shelled Kharkiv, but also began a ground operation to capture the region. In a matter of weeks, Izyum was occupied, and later – Kupyansk and Balaklia. The Russians failed to capture Kharkiv itself, although there were attempts. It is known from open sources that at the beginning of the invasion, several Russian tanks and armored personnel carriers were able to enter the city, but Ukrainian troops destroyed them. BBC Ukraine journalist Oksana Torop talks about the case of Roman Dudin, who is on trial in the case of the seizure of Kharkiv Oblast. NV publishes material within the framework of information cooperation.
On February 24, against the backdrop of Russian attacks, something else happened in Kharkiv. Later, the investigators will call it the “forced removal” of the local authorities in the interests of Russia and will link these events with Roman Dudin, the head of the SBU administration in the region at the time.
It was he who would later be accused of sabotaging the region’s preparations for the Russian invasion, inaction in the first days of the offensive, and fleeing Kharkiv Oblast.
He denies all these accusations.
Roman Dudin’s case developed in parallel with the treason trial of another top official of the special service, Oleg Kulinich, head of the SBU in Crimea.
Both Kulinich and Dudin were detained in 2022, the investigation of both cases was completed, and court proceedings began.
All this time, the accused are in the SIZO. However, if Kulinich is permanently detained by the court, Dudin’s remand was recently changed — now he can be released on bail.
What is the case of Roman Dudin – we tell you the details.
Who is Roman Dudin?
41-year-old lieutenant colonel Roman Dudin headed the SBU department in the Kharkiv region from March 2020 to May 2022.
In the midst of a full-scale invasion of Russia, in May 2022, Volodymyr Zelensky fired him from his leadership position, citing the fact that Dudin “did not work for the defense of the city from the first days of a full-scale war, but only thought about himself.”
Dudin himself called it “political persecution” of the Office of the President.
A few months later, in September 2022, he was detained by law enforcement officers. The former head of the Kharkiv SBU was charged with treason and desertion.
Then the SBI publicly stated that Dudin acted in the interests of Russia and deliberately prevented the organization of the defense of the region.
Roman Dudin was charged with three articles of the Criminal Code — ch. 2 Art. 111 (high treason), ch. 5th century 407 (voluntary abandonment of service) and h. 4 Art. 402 (disobedience).
He faces life imprisonment.
Almost a year later, in July 2023, the Shevchenko Court of Kyiv began considering Dudin’s case, the process is still ongoing. All this time, the accused is in the pre-trial detention center.
However, on November 14, certain changes took place in the court — Roman Dudin was allowed to leave on bail of more than UAH 5 million. At the moment, he is still behind bars, his family is collecting money.
What Dudin is accused of
We read the indictment in the case of Roman Dudin, which is in the court files.
Investigators claim that at the beginning of the invasion Dudin, supporting “ideas of a pro-Russian orientation” and “acting in the interests of Russia”, actually helped the aggressor to carry out subversive activities against Ukraine.
So, on February 24, Dudin began to implement “criminal plan”, the essence of which is to remove the head of the Kharkiv regional state (military) administration of Oleg Sinegubov.
The investigation documents state that on the morning of February 24, 2022, Roman Dudin called his subordinates to a meeting, at which he reported that he had lost contact with the regional leadership.
There he also ordered the special forces to go to Oleg Synegubov’s office, record his absence and report this via video link to the President’s Office.
At the same time, according to the investigators, he called Sinegubov himself and informed him that his office should be checked for “bugs” – under this pretext, the special services got into the office of the head of the Regional State Administration.
There they photographed the empty office of the head of the region and published it in the popular Kharkiv Telegram channel. At the same time, the caption to this photo was allegedly dictated by Dudin himself: “Kyiv’s decision: due to the fact that Synegubov/Terekhov (mayor of Kharkiv) and Yehorova-Lutsenko (the head of the Kharkiv Regional Council) removed themselves, the leadership of the Kharkiv Region and Kharkiv was taken over by the power bloc, the army, the Security Service of Ukraine and the police.”
Further, the indictment states: after seeing these messages in the public space, Synegubov understood what was happening and tried to return to his office, but the “Alfa” fighters did not allow him to do so.
Thus, the leadership of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration on the first day of a full-scale invasion “was illegally removed from the performance of official duties” and was unable to join the meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky at noon.
In addition, according to the investigation, he sabotaged the defense of the region against the Russians and disobeyed the Kharkiv defense headquarters, which he had to do due to the introduction of martial law.
The indictment also mentions that on February 24, 2022, Roman Dudin evacuated the personnel of his department from the territory of the region, leaving weapons and ammunition in the building of the special service. And the next day he himself left Kharkiv Oblast together with the soldiers “Alphas”.
According to the investigation, Dudin should have been given permission to leave Kharkiv Oblast by the defense forces, but since he was not there, on February 25 he left the region on his own accord.
According to the investigation materials, Dudin returned to Kharkiv on March 2, where he created his own military management body — the “ATC Defense Headquarters” and “simulated” active defensive actions, without coordination with the command of the troop group “Kharkiv”.
What does the defense say?
That there is no evidence in the case file “pro-Russianness” of Roman Dudin, his support and help to Russia, and the employees of the Security Service of Kharkiv region in the first days of the invasion repelled aggression, caught saboteurs and Russian agents.
In court, Dudin denies the words of the head of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration Sinegubov, who is a witness in the case, about an attempt to seize power in the region.
He claims that at the beginning of the invasion of the city council H the archway was closed, there were no workers at the workplaces. That’s why, as if already in the morning, information began to spread in the public space that the authorities of the city and the region had fled. That is why the head of the Security Service gave the order to post information on social networks that the situation in the region is under control, and that the special service, the police and the Armed Forces are performing their tasks.
He admits that he did send special forces to the Regional State Administration, but in order for them to guard a strategic building and help establish communication with Kyiv. According to Dudin’s testimony, Synegubov’s office was closed, the manager himself was not there.
And when he appeared later, SBU employees immediately informed him of the need to contact the president and report the situation. Roman Dudin claims that there was no forceful removal of the head of the Regional State Administration from the performance of his duties.
His departure to Kyiv together with the soldiers “Alpha” on February 25, Dudin explains the order of the head of the SBU at the time, Ivan Bakanov, and points to the incompleteness of the investigation, since the former head of the special service was never questioned in this case.
At the same time, according to him, all the weapons that were in the SBU administration building were distributed to the staff, police and volunteers.
Dudin’s defense insists that at the time of the SBU invasion Kharkiv region was subordinated to the central SBU, as there were no other orders from the military command to transfer it to other structures.
According to Dudin, in Kyiv he immediately joined the defense of the capital, performed tasks in the government quarter. And on March 1, he already returned to Kharkiv, where he joined the defense of the region.
Information about arbitrary creation “He calls the ATC defense headquarters a fiction.
At what stage is the case?
Although Roman Dudin was dismissed from the position of head of the Kharkiv SBU, he remains at the disposal of the head of the SBU.
The trial in his case continues. The parties have already examined all the written evidence, ahead of them will be familiarization with the confidential information of the case materials.
After that, the most interesting part will begin – the questioning of witnesses. It is difficult to predict exactly when this stage will be reached, given the fact that the trial is already in its second year.
The prosecution’s witnesses are Synegubov, Terekhov, and the former deputy head of the OP, and now adviser to the Minister of Defense Kyrylo Tymoshenko.
The defense will ask to question Ivan Bakanov, Valery Zaluzhny, and Volodymyr Zelenskyi.