The indictment against the former Minister of Internal Affairs during Yanukovych’s time, Vitaliy Zakharchenko, who is accused of treason and justifying Russia’s aggression, and who has been hiding in Russia since the events of 2014, has been sent to court, the State Bureau of Investigation reported, writes UNN.

Employees of the SBI, under the procedural guidance of the Prosecutor General’s Office, have completed the pre-trial investigation against the former Minister of Internal Affairs, who has been hiding in Russia since the events of 2014 and continues to work there in the interests of the aggressor state. According to the investigation, he systematically committed crimes against the national security of Ukraine and justified Russia’s aggression. The indictment has been sent to court.

DetailsAs stated by the SBI, “immediately after the full-scale invasion in 2022, the accused called Ukrainian officials and offered to sign a so-called ‘treaty of friendship and protection’ with Russia. In fact, this meant the voluntary surrender of territories to the enemy in exchange for ‘high positions’. He emphasized that he was acting on behalf of the Russian leadership.”

The investigation also established that “in 2017-2023, the ex-minister actively disseminated pro-Russian narratives aimed at subversive activities against Ukraine.” “On his page on the social network ‘VKontakte’, he posted materials such as ‘Neo-Nazi dictatorship under informational cover’, ‘The need for denazification is becoming a matter of survival for the people of Ukraine’, ‘Several theses about the bloody crimes of the Kyiv junta’, and others. These publications created an ideological basis for Russian aggression and harmed the state and information security of Ukraine,” the report says.

“From March to April 2022, the former official published about 30 videos on the YouTube channel ‘INSIDE MEDIA HOLDING’ under the title ‘Vitaliy Zakharchenko — digest of current events in Ukraine’. In them, he justified Russia’s aggression, distorted historical facts, and repeated propaganda theses. He published similar content on Instagram, including videos ‘Is Ukraine ISIS?’ or ‘Bucha: fake or reality?’.” – noted the SBI.

“He also appeared on Russian propaganda broadcasts – in particular, on the program ‘Evening with Vladimir Solovyov’ on June 5, 2022, and during a video conference meeting of the UN Security Council on December 27, 2023. There he justified Russia’s actions and claimed that the aggression was allegedly ‘forced’,” – stated the SBI.

As reported by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine at the time, on December 27, 2023, Russia planned to hold an informal meeting of the UN Security Council under the so-called “Arria formula” and among the “invited guests ‘who would be useful to hear’ were the Minister of Internal Affairs during Yanukovych’s time – Vitaliy Zakharchenko.”

The investigation was conducted under a special pre-trial investigation (in absentia).

Legal qualification of the ex-minister’s actions: Part 1 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – state treason; Part 2 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – state treason under martial law; Part 3 of Article 436-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – justification of Russia’s armed aggression using the media. The maximum penalty for these articles is up to 15 years of imprisonment.

“Currently, the suspect is hiding in Russia and continues anti-Ukrainian activities,” the report says.

Procedural guidance was carried out by the Prosecutor General’s Office.

AdditionAccording to the SBI, within the framework of another criminal proceeding, in 2024, SBI investigators submitted a full package of materials for the application of the sanction mechanism for the recovery of the ex-minister’s assets to the state. It is noted that among the traitor’s property is an elite household with land plots in Kyiv. The SBI ensured its arrest and transfer to ARMA management back in 2021. In October 2025, as noted, the High Anti-Corruption Court ruled to recover the assets, including the accused’s household, to the state.