Skorokhod Vitaliy Vitalevich (Skorokhid Vitaliy Vitaliyovich)

On November 8, 2023, in Melitopol, in the occupied Zaporizhzhia region, 24-year-old Vitaliy Skorokhod, a resident of the Kherson region and a citizen of Ukraine, was abducted. For several months he was illegally held in an unknown location, and only on June 10, 2024, seven months after his abduction, was he officially detained on criminal charges. A criminal case was opened against the Ukrainian citizen for participation in a sabotage community, illegal circulation of explosives and explosive devices, training in sabotage activities, illegal manufacture of explosive devices committed by an organized group, sabotage and attempted sabotage committed as part of an organized group resulting in grave consequences. According to the version of the Russian security forces, in 2022, a man joined a sabotage community, on the instructions of whose members he took an explosive substance and, using the training instructions sent to him, made an improvised explosive device. Subsequently, he carried out explosions on railway tracks during the movement of freight trains. Starting in June 2023, three explosions occurred on the railway near Melitopol. Explosions of small force caused damage to railway facilities and instilled fear in train drivers. The press release claims that Skorokhod was caught red-handed attempting to blow up a gas distribution station. The Ukrainian was sent to a pre-trial detention center for the duration of the investigation. On February 18, 2025, the Zaporizhzhia Regional Court found Vitaliy Skorokhod guilty and sentenced him to 19 years in a strict regime colony, with the first 3 years to be served in prison, a 1-year restriction of freedom, and a fine of 700 thousand. rubles. It is unknown whether the verdict will be appealed.