On 5 December 2025, the Zavodskyi District Court of Zaporizhzhia delivered a guilty verdict against Konstantin Lysenko, a Ukrainian citizen who voluntarily accepted a leadership position within an illegal law enforcement body created by Russian occupation authorities in the temporarily occupied territory of Zaporizhzhia region.

Who is Lysenko?

Konstantin Serhiiovych Lysenko was born on 13 December 1982 in the city of Dniprorudne, Vasylivka district, Zaporizhzhia region. Prior to Russia’s full-scale invasion, he served in Ukrainian law enforcement agencies but was later dismissed.

No later than 12 April 2022, Lysenko voluntarily agreed to head the so-called “people’s militia” in occupied Dniprorudne—an illegal law enforcement structure established by the Russian occupation administration.

Lysenko publicly announced his appointment in video statements published on pro-Russian Telegram channels. On 23 April 2022, speaking in Russian, he addressed local residents, stating: “Dear residents of Dniprorudne! As of April 22, a police unit has begun operating in our city, and I am its head.”

Under Lysenko’s leadership, the illegal police force searched for former and active officers of the National Police of Ukraine, coerced them into cooperation with occupation authorities, carried out raids, illegal searches and detentions, and systematically intimidated the civilian population.

War crimes

• On 7 November 2022, at the “Vasylivka–Zaporizhzhia” filtration checkpoint near an OKKO gas station, Lysenko and his accomplices stopped a Volkswagen Touareg driven by a civilian Ukrainian citizen. Threatening the driver with physical violence, Lysenko ordered him to return to Vasylivka, where the vehicle—valued at approximately UAH 1.8 million—was unlawfully seized. The car belonged to Druzhba-5 LLC and was later offered for sale on a Russian online platform.

• On 26 May 2022, at around 2:00 p.m., Lysenko and his accomplices conducted a search of the home of a Ukrainian woman who had refused to accept Russian citizenship imposed by the occupiers. She was unlawfully detained and held at the so-called “Dniprorudne District Police Department” until 24 January 2023—nearly eight months. According to the court, during her detention she was subjected to physical violence, threats, and held in inhumane conditions without access to medical care. As head of the illegal law enforcement body, Lysenko was fully aware of the torture but took no action to stop it.

• On 24 January 2023, Lysenko personally organized the forced expulsion of the victim and another Ukrainian civilian from the occupied part of Zaporizhzhia region. They were transported to Vasylivka, where an order from the occupation authorities was read aloud, after which they were forced to walk toward Zaporizhzhia through a mined area. The court found that these actions constituted a grave violation of international humanitarian law, including the prohibition of forced displacement of protected persons. During transportation, the second deported civilian was held with a plastic bag over his head and his hands bound with plastic restraints.

Sentence

On 5 December 2025, the court found Lysenko guilty and sentenced him to 14 years of imprisonment, along with a 14-year ban on holding positions in law enforcement agencies, public authorities, and local self-government, and confiscation of all his property. The court also upheld a civil claim filed by Druzhba-5 LLC, ordering compensation of UAH 1.8 million for the stolen vehicle.

The trial was conducted in absentia, as Lysenko is currently evading justice. He has been placed on an international wanted list. The prison sentence will take effect from the moment of his arrest and actual enforcement of the punishment.

Lysenko’s actions were legally classified as collaboration (Part 7 of Article 111-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) and serious violations of the laws and customs of war, including looting, cruel treatment of civilians, illegal imprisonment, and forced displacement of protected persons (Part 2 of Article 28 and Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).