Ex-owner of Ukrainian football club is suspected of high treason

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the Ukrainian nation has consolidated to fight off the occupier and defend its land. Unfortunately, however, there were those who betrayed their country. One of them was Ivan Dotsenko, the former owner and president of the Mir football club from Hornostaivka. He actively began to cooperate with the Russians after the occupation, for which he was suspected of treason.

The relevant document was issued by the Kherson Regional Prosecutor's Office. Dotsenko continues to work successfully in the agricultural business and kindly gives interviews to propaganda media. He was also a deputy of the Novotroitsk village council from the OPFL.

Ivan Dotsenko reportedly persuaded residents of the village of Hornostaivka to cooperate with the occupiers and forced employees of his company Agrofirma Mir to participate in an illegal referendum on the accession of Kherson region to Russia. In case of refusal, he threatened them with dismissal.

What Ivan Dotsenko is charged with:

• Providing assistance to a foreign state or organisation in conducting subversive activities against Ukraine, committed under martial law
• registration of the agricultural company "Mir" and payment of taxes to the budget of the aggressor country in order to ensure the receipt of funds that could be used for armed hostilities against Ukraine
• organising the transportation of agricultural products from the occupied territory to the seaports of Russia and the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea for further export to other countries under the guise of Russian export products
• ensuring the repair and restoration of damaged military equipment of the Russian Armed Forces, providing agricultural equipment for the construction and arrangement of fortifications of the Russian Armed Forces
• export of agricultural products to ensure the economic stability of the aggressor country
• Providing the Russian military with housing, food and household supplies to maintain their combat capability and defensive and offensive capabilities.

And this is not a complete list. Based on the above points, Ivan Dotsenko is suspected of committing a criminal offence under Article 111-2 (1) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

As a reminder, Ivan Dotsenko owned the Myr club of Hornostaivka, which was founded in 1994. The team played in the Ukrainian Amateur Championship and the League Cup for five seasons. The team won the championship in 2010. Myr is also a 5-time champion of Kherson region, and from 2011 to 2019 it had professional status and played in the Second League.