Former 'Minister' of Occupied Crimea Detained in Kyiv
Ukrainian law enforcement has detained Serhiy Kolobov, who headed the so-called Ministry of Fuel and Energy of the Russian occupation government in Crimea. He is suspected of high treason.
A 65-year-old Ukrainian citizen has been detained in Kyiv on suspicion of high treason for voluntarily heading the so-called "Ministry of Fuel and Energy of the Republic of Crimea" under the Russian occupation administration.
Although authorities did not officially name the suspect, Ukrainian Pravda, citing sources in law enforcement, identified him as Serhiy Kolobov. Prior to the occupation, from 2012, he served as the head of the Republican Committee of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea on Fuel, Energy and Innovation Policy.
After Crimea's annexation, Kolobov agreed to lead the occupation ministry, organizing its operations and facilitating the aggressor state's policies in the peninsula's fuel and energy sector. He later resigned from the ministry and continued working in occupied Crimea as a "director" of several Russian-controlled joint-stock companies.
In 2026, the former official arrived in government-controlled Ukraine and settled in Kyiv, according to the Security Service, for personal reasons. Law enforcement located and arrested him. During a search of his temporary residence, authorities seized Russian internal and foreign passports as well as electronic equipment.
At the request of the prosecutor, the court ordered pre-trial detention without the possibility of bail. The suspect faces charges of high treason. The investigation is ongoing.
