Balitskiy Yaroslav Bronislavovich

On October 27, 2022, the Investigative Department of the FSB of Russia for the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol in Crimea opened a criminal case against a native of Ukraine, a resident of the village of Mirny, Yaroslav Balitsky, on charges of preparing for sabotage and illegal storage of an explosive device." According to law enforcement officials, Balitsky was preparing a sabotage operation on power transmission lines in Crimea. During a search of the Crimean man's vehicle, they allegedly found a homemade explosive device of the blast type with an electric trigger, as well as two industrially manufactured adhesive mines SPM and two industrially manufactured incendiary tubes ZTP-150. Balitsky himself claimed that the items seized during the search of his car did not belong to him. Explosive devices and a diagram with markings of power line supports were planted in his car by employees of the Security Service of Ukraine because he refused to carry out their assignments. He has a negative attitude towards the SVO because people are dying on the side of Ukraine and Russia, but he is not a supporter of radical methods, believing that military actions should be stopped peacefully. On November 2, the Kievsky District Court of Simferopol chose a measure of restraint for Balitsky in the form of detention. On December 19, 2023, the Supreme Court of the Republic of Crimea found Yaroslav Balitsky guilty and sentenced him to 8 years in prison with a fine of 50 thousand. rubles. Balitsky must serve the first 3 years in prison, and the remaining part of the sentence in a strict regime correctional colony. April 8, 2024, the Third Appellate Court of General Jurisdiction left the sentence unchanged. Another criminal case was also opened against Balitsky - for treason. According to the version of the security forces, Balitsky, being opposed to the conduct of the "special military operation, in early 2022 made contact with a representative of the Ukrainian security service, to whom he reported his readiness to assist foreign intelligence in activities against the security of Russia. In October 2022, he allegedly received an assignment from his curators to install video surveillance of the building of one of the law enforcement agencies, after which he transferred to a representative of a foreign state information necessary for access to video surveillance in real time. On June 4, 2025, the Supreme Court of the Republic of Crimea found Yaroslav Balitsky guilty and, taking into account the previous punishment, sentenced him to 20 years of imprisonment with subsequent restriction of freedom for 1.5 years and a fine of 50 thousand. rubles. Balitsky must serve the first 3 years of imprisonment in prison, and the subsequent ones in a strict regime correctional colony. On August 14, 2025, Balitsky was released as part of an exchange with Ukraine.