the hunt for “collaborators” has begun

In the territories taken over from the Russian army, the hunt for “collaborators” has begun. “6,000 investigations have already been opened by the Ukrainian courts in the territories formerly occupied by the Russians. We denounce each other, we accuse each other among neighbors and the old quarrels from before the war resurface”, says Stéphanie Perez, live from Dnipro. A new law punishes these acts of collaboration with 12 years in prison. “But where does the collaboration begin?”wonders the special envoy who went to find out in Kherson, where “the inhabitants are doing justice to themselves” after online surveys.

“I just did my job”

On Ukrainian social networks, a gallery of portraits is growing day by day with a keyword “collaborator”. In the hunt for traitors, all means are permitted. In Kherson, the authorities encourage denunciation. In the list, a name brings back the bad memories on the market of the city, that of the technical director who would have applied with zeal the new rules. This man agreed to speak to France Télévisions. “I just did my job, the management gave orders and I obeyed. Yes, I got the colors of Ukraine, I was forced”, he defends himself. To prove his patriotism, he holds up his Ukrainian identity card. His file is on the Kherson prosecutor’s office.