Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, says a registry of “collaborators” will soon be made public.
Alleged “collaborators” face fifteen years in prison based on a law passed after Russia invaded. One can be charged with collaboration simply for “denying Russian aggression.” German state-run media says people are being arrested by the Ukrainian Secret Service [SBU] just for social media posts. The SBU has made about 400 arrests in Kharkov alone. One of them is American citizen Gonzalo Lira, who makes YouTube videos under the name “Coach Red Pill.” He is currently under house arrest in Kharkov after being detained for several days. Gonzalo Lira criticized the Ukrainian government in YouTube videos.
Government officials in Kiev have already made vague comments about “saboteurs” being “neutralized” or “eliminated.” Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko has stated publicly that “groups of saboteurs” were being eliminated inside the city. One such “saboteur” was Denis Kireev, a member of Zelensky’s own negotiation team. After participating in two rounds of peace talks, he was shot execution-style on a Kiev sidewalk. Members of the Ukrainian parliament announced that he was killed for unauthorized communication with Russian officials.
A public list would very likely make people a target of murder. Ukrainians have been threatened with prison and murder on social media for simply taking free food from the Russian army. In some cities, people show up at food distribution points and videotape those accepting food boxes. In Bucha, the Ukrainian government published video clips and photos showing civilians that were allegedly murdered while wearing white armbands. The white armbands are Russian IFF colors. This means they were likely to have been engaged in delivering food and medicine to residents for the Russian army.
A former member of the Ukrainian parliament, accused of being pro-Russia, was also murdered in Bucha after the Russian army left. Thomas Röper is a high-profile independent German journalist who has visited several Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine. He says that in Melitopol, there is widespread fear of reprisal killings against civilians if the Russian army leaves.
ATENTOS!! El periodista alemán Thomas Röper señala que los habitantes de Melitopol están pidiendo a los soldados rusos que no se vayan de la ciudad: temen represalias del régimen nazi de Kiev… desnazificacion!pic.twitter.com/44tULJotnj
— David ⓩ (@DAVlD50) April 24, 2022
Ukraine’s security service has begun arresting suspected Russian collaborators, but rights advocates worry that some of the arrests may be unjustified: pic.twitter.com/63U9Xr5TWm
— DW News (@dwnews) May 2, 2022