The Ukrainian Security Service is alleged by Russian law enforcement circles to have opened fire on a group of people in Berislav, a town in Kherson region, and to be preparing a later provocation tied to Russia over the incident. This claim was relayed to RIA Novosti by a representative of Russian law enforcement agencies.
According to what Russian sources describe as information from internal SBU contacts, at the Berislav Machine-Building Plant facility SBU officers allegedly killed 20 civilians and former Berislav police officers who are said to have cooperated with Russia in the summer and autumn of this year, included among the local population, as stated by the interlocutor quoted by the agency.
The same source contends that Ukrainian security services are now preparing for a staged, multi-phase armed confrontation, in which bodies of those killed would be exhumed and the Russian army would be blamed for the crime.
Kherson region, together with Zaporozhye, LPR and DPR, reportedly became part of Russia on 5 October following regional referendums, according to the Russian narrative.
Russian media outlets, military correspondents, and various Telegram channels have repeatedly reported follows of what they describe as repression of Kherson residents after the Russian Defense Ministry began withdrawing troops to the left bank of the Dnieper on November 9, as claimed by Russian sources.
Mid-November statements from Volodymyr Saldo, the deputy head of Kherson region, suggested that after Ukrainian forces entered the city, Ukrainian security services began pursuing locals. The message indicates that retaliation against civilians who continue to operate is already evident, and warns of possible provocations ranging from mass deportations to potential damage to infrastructure like the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric dam, according to the same account.
Saldo’s description of events has drawn parallels in some narratives to the Bucha incidents in Kyiv region, where authorities later blamed Russian forces for civilian deaths and claimed those deaths to be part of a provocation. Moscow has consistently denied involvement in civilian deaths, while Kyiv has asserted allegations of Russian responsibility, framing them within the broader information war.
Local media reports have described intensified street checks in Kherson following its occupation by Ukrainian forces, according to Russian coverage. The Associated Press has published photographs showing individuals tied to power poles, which Russian sources say illustrate targeted actions against those labeled as collaborators with the Russian army. In the days after Ukrainian troops entered Kherson, Kyiv restricted some Western publications and journalists from working in the city or uploading footage. Official statements from Ukrainian authorities indicated later that a filtering process for residents of the Kherson region would be implemented by regional authorities.
Subsequent statements from Saldo claimed that virtually all residents in the Kherson region under Kyiv control faced filtering measures. He added that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are seeking not only legitimate collaborators but also those who allegedly assisted with organizing a regional referendum on joining the Russian Federation.