Former commander of the 73rd Naval Center of the Special Operations Forces sentenced to 15 years for treason; in the case: attempted recruitment of the mayor of Ochakiv

Zavodskyi District Court of Mykolaiv found former military intelligence officer Eduard Shevchenko guilty of state treason under martial law and illegal handling of weapons, and sentenced him to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property.

According to MIPL, the panel of judges prepared the decision for about a month.

Shevchenko is an ATO veteran, a Captain First Rank, and at various times worked in the Ukrainian Naval Forces and in local government bodies. The investigation alleged that in 2018 he was recruited by representatives of Russian security services; among the charged episodes was passing information about the arrival of a British naval vessel to the port of Odesa and about its security arrangements.

Additionally, investigators indicated that in 2022–2023 he maintained contact with a representative of the Russian General Staff and passed on information about shelling, and also tried to recruit the mayor of Ochakiv, Serhii Bychkov.

According to the investigation, these actions were intended to secure personal safety guarantees in case of a possible occupation of the city. Separately, he was accused of illegal possession of a carbine.

The defendant denied the charges: he said he did not pass secret data and that communications on social networks were of a provocative nature. He also rejected the allegations of attempting to recruit the mayor and explained the criminal prosecution by longstanding conflicts with SBU employees.

Shevchenko was detained in January 2023, and the trial on the merits ran from the beginning of 2024. In closing arguments the prosecutor asked for 15 years’ imprisonment with confiscation of property, while the defense insisted on a full acquittal.

The court partially acquitted the defendant on the episode regarding the British ship, but found him guilty of state treason under martial law and illegal handling of weapons. For the totality of the crimes the final sentence was set at 15 years in prison with confiscation of property; the verdict can be appealed within a month. After the decision was announced, Shevchenko said he disagreed with the verdict and intends to file an appeal.

Recall that on 7 March 2023 the SBU reported the detention in Ochakiv of an agent of Russian intelligence who was collecting data for the capture of the city and tried to induce the leadership to cooperate with the occupiers; the mayor refused and informed the special service. It later became known that this agent was Eduard Shevchenko — the former head of the 73 Naval Special Operations Center in the Mykolaiv region.

Earlier we wrote:

• Mykolaiv SBU officers detained an FSB “mole” in a marine brigade
• Tried to locate HIMARS: a traitor from Mykolaiv received a real prison term
• SBU in Mykolaiv region neutralized an agent network of the Russian GRU that operated at a defense plant
• “The SBU ‘had him under surveillance for 3–5 months,” — Kim on the suspect in treason, the ex-commander of the 73rd special center
• An adviser to the mayor was detained in Ochakiv — he helped Russian occupiers develop plans to capture the city