06 December 2021, Monday, 15:01 162

SSU Detains DPR Somali Militant

Редактор: Daria Zubkova

The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) has detained a militant of the illegal armed group Somali of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic.

The press service of the authority has said this in a statement, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

"During a special operation in Donetsk region, another militant was found and detained. He turned out to be a shooter of the illegal armed group Somali. A local resident who joined the illegal armed groups in December 2018 was detained," the statement reads.

According to the investigation, the attacker was a member of the assault unit of an illegal armed formation of the so-called DPR, which provided armed resistance to the Ukrainian military involved in the Joint Forces Operation near settlements of Shyroka Balka, Pikuzy (former Kominternovo), Dolomytne of Donetsk region.

Subsequently, the attacker left the ranks of the militants and secretly returned to the territory controlled by the Ukrainian authorities, where he tried to escape justice.

During searches at his location, law enforcement officers found: DPR military ID; means of communication with evidence of illegal activity.

Besides, the suspect provided incriminating testimony regarding regular servicemen of the Russian Armed Forces who are in positions of advisers and directly directing illegal armed groups.

SSU investigators served the detainee with suspicion of committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 258-3 (participation in a terrorist group or terrorist organization) of the Criminal Code.

The court chose him a preventive measure in the form of detention.

The pre-trial investigation continues to establish all the circumstances of the illegal activity.

The operation to expose the attacker was carried out under the procedural guidance of the Prosecutor General's Office.

As Ukrainian News Agency reported, earlier the court sentenced a member of the illegal armed group Oplot of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic to 11 years and 10 months in prison for attempting to blow up one of the electrical substations in the zone of the Joint Forces Operation.