In annexed Crimea, a criminal case was initiated against Sergey Solomko, who led the battalion of the special forces of the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, participated in the suppression of protests at Maidan, and joined the Russian service in 2014, as discovered by "Mediazona"*.
Solomko was arrested back in October 2024, initially, the FSB charged him only with attempting to purchase explosives on the internet. He pleaded guilty.
In May 2025, Solomko's case was transferred to the Supreme Court of Crimea with an additional charge - confidential cooperation with foreigners. At the beginning of the process, the judge decided to return the case to the prosecutor or investigator, as she saw grounds for a more serious qualification. It could be about "treason".
During Euromaidan, Lieutenant Colonel Solomko commanded a battalion from the 47th Special Purpose Regiment "Tiger", which used weapons against protesters. The regiment was based in Crimea, but in December 2013, it was transferred to Kyiv to suppress protests. Solomko was injured during clashes with protesters.
At the end of February 2014, the military returned to the base in Crimea. During the annexation of the peninsula, part of the personnel, including Solomko, switched to the Russian side. In March 2015, Colonel General Viktor Zolotov, then head of the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, awarded him the "For Distinction in Service" 1st degree.
As noted by "Mediazona", by the time the criminal case was initiated, Solomko was already a civilian, otherwise, his case would have been considered by the garrison military court. It is unknown when he left the service.
* Recognized as a "foreign agent" in Russia.