The Security Service of Ukraine has exposed an underground group of former communists in Cherkasy, which operated with the support of Russian special services. The organization justified the armed aggression of the Russian Federation, spread propaganda, and called for the restoration of the Soviet regime.
According to the SBU, the group was organized by former communist MP Petro Symonenko, who fled to Russia with Russian special forces after the war began.
The group included former Communist Party members, including former people's deputies and ideological functionaries. They justified Russian war crimes, including the missile strike on Okhmatdyt and the mass killings in Bucha.
In addition to propaganda, the attackers prepared letters to Vladimir Putin, expressing support for the Russian dictator and calling for the restoration of the USSR.
Law enforcement officers conducted searches in Cherkasy and Kyiv, during which they discovered:
- banned Soviet symbols;
- computer equipment with evidence of criminal activity;
- mobile phones with pro-Russian materials.
Four suspects have already been notified of the suspicion. They face up to 8 years in prison with confiscation of property.
The operation in Cherkasy is part of large-scale SBU measures aimed at neutralizing pro-Russian cells. Recall that in 2023, the special service eliminated similar networks in seven regions of Ukraine.
