The Southern District Military Court has begun hearing the case of Aleksandr Kruchinenko, Nikolai and Sergei Semenyuk. They are charged with an act of international terrorism and an attempted act of international terrorism, illegal trafficking of explosives, making explosive devices, and participation in a terrorist community; the Semenyuk brothers also face weapons trafficking charges. All three told the court they pleaded guilty.
According to investigators, the group was led by Yevgeny Loboda, an SBU officer. The prosecution says that in the spring of 2022 he contacted Kruchinenko in occupied Kherson from territory controlled by Ukraine, after which Kruchinenko recruited members for an underground group and coordinated its actions. At the hearing, Nikolai and Sergei Semenyuk said they had served in the 73rd Naval Special Operations Center in Ochakiv.
Three episodes in the case
The first episode concerns the killing of blogger and former police investigator Valery Kuleshov. Case materials say that on April 20, 2022, Nikolai Semenyuk approached a Mazda near a residential building on Neftyanikov Street in Kherson and fired at least 20 shots. A forensic examination concluded that Kuleshov died at the scene from a gunshot wound to the chest.
The second episode concerns the attempted attack on Vladimir Saldo. Investigators say a bomb hidden inside a fire extinguisher and packed with explosive material and metal fragments was planted near the Nostalgie restaurant. On June 7, 2022, the device exploded after an unintended press of the remote control while Kruchinenko was sitting in a nearby cafe. The occupation administration reported one injured person; Saldo was not there because he had stopped visiting the venue on his guards’ advice.
The third episode concerns the killing of Dmitry Savluchenko, head of Kherson region’s department for youth policy, family and sport. According to the prosecution, on the morning of June 24, 2022, an explosive device attached under his Hyundai was detonated remotely, and the official died at the scene.
Savluchenko’s mother, questioned by video link, tearfully told the court she heard the blast a minute after her son left for work and tried to pull him from the burning car.
After her testimony, the court read out statements from Kuleshov’s half-sister and from Saldo himself. He said that in spring 2022 he was guarded by officers from the FSB special center’s temporary operational group and did not have a permanent residence for security reasons.