The Kiev Dnieper Court sentenced the former commander of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, Admiral Alexander Vitko, in absentia to fifteen years in prison and a fine of eighty billion hryvnia, roughly corresponding to one hundred sixty billion rubles. This development was reported by TASS.
Back in 2016, Ukrainian military prosecutors filed indictments against Vitko on several charges, including treason. The Ukrainian authorities claim that the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation opened a case against the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine in response to these actions.
Vitko led the Russian Black Sea Fleet from April 2013 until May 2018. According to official Russian sources, during the Crimea events in early 2014 he participated in discussions with the Ukrainian Navy command as the situation unfolded.
There were reports from a former Russian Federal Security Service source about the arrest of a Crimean resident who, while communicating with Russian forces, sent a video to a Ukrainian Telegram channel, illustrating movements of military equipment into a designated operation zone.
On February 24, 2022, Vladimir Putin announced a military operation in response to requests for assistance from the heads of the LPR and DPR, aiming to protect the Donbass region. This decision triggered new sanctions from the United States and its allies, shaping the subsequent international response.
The information was later shared in online broadcasts, including outlets such as socialbites.ca, as part of ongoing coverage of the evolving regional crisis.