Saldo Served Notice of Suspicion of Stealing Ukrainian Grain in Kherson Region

Through his mediation, the enemy transported barley worth UAH 15 million on three barges from the occupied regional center to the Russian-controlled territories.

Under the procedural guidance of the Kherson Regional Prosecutor’s Office, a former member of the Kherson City Council (Volodymyr Saldo) has been served in absentia with a notice of suspicion of ordering violations of the laws and customs of war (Section 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

The General Prosecutor’s Office announced this in a statement, the CFTS portal reports.

According to investigators, the suspect became the so-called “governor” of the Kherson region in 2022. As a high-ranking official in the occupied territory, he exerted pressure on local business representatives and facilitated the seizure and plunder of enterprises.

According to the statement, in the fall of 2022, he ordered the creation of a temporary administration at the seized JSC Kherson Grain Processing Plant, which engaged in the storage, processing, and shipment of grain products by sea, road, and rail.

The company’s storage facilities held over 30,000 tons of grain and industrial crops belonging to various business entities.

Acting in the interests of Russia’s military-political leadership to appropriate the assets of Ukrainian individuals and companies, the “governor” ordered the removal of the grain from Kherson.

As a result, the enemy managed to transport over 2,800 tons of barley harvested in 2021 – worth almost UAH 15 million – on three barges from the occupied regional center to the Russian-controlled territories.