SBU cracks down on Russian supporters

Viktor appeared nervous as masked Ukrainian security officers in full riot gear, camouflage and weapons pushed into his cluttered apartment in the northern city of Kharkiv. His hands trembled and he tried to cover his face.

The middle-aged man came to the attention of Ukraine’s security service, the SBU, after what authorities said were his social media posts praising Russian President Vladimir Putin for ‘‘fighting with the Nazis’’, calling for regions to secede and labelling the national flag ‘‘a symbol of death’’.

‘‘Yes, I supported [the Russian invasion of Ukraine] a lot. I’m sorry ... I have already changed my mind,‘‘ said Viktor, his trembling voice showing clear signs of duress in the presence of the Ukrainian security officers.

‘‘Get your things and get dressed,’’ an officer said before escorting him out of the apartment. The SBU did not reveal Viktor’s last name, citing their investigation.

Viktor was one of nearly 400 people in the Kharkiv region alone who had been detained under anticollaboration laws enacted quickly by Ukraine’s parliament and signed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after Russia’s February 24 invasion.

Offenders face up to 15 years in prison for collaborating with Russian forces, making public denials about Russian aggression or supporting Moscow. Anyone whose actions result in deaths could face life in prison.

Human rights advocates know of ‘‘dozens’’ of detentions of proRussian activists in Kyiv alone since the new laws were passed, but how many have been targeted nationwide is unclear, said Volodymyr Yavorskyy, co-ordinator at the Centre for Civil Liberties, one of Ukraine’s largest human rights groups.

‘‘There is no complete data on the [entire] country, since it is all classified by the SBU,’’ Yavorskyy said. –