Former Ukrainian security service general sentenced to 12 years in jail for high treason and terrorism

A Ukrainian court sentenced Valery Shaitanov, former General Major of the country’s security service SBU and deputy chief of the Alpha Special Group, to 12 years behind bars for providing intel to Russia and preparing an attack on Chechen volunteer fighter Adam Osmayev.

The news was reported by the Ukrainian General Prosecutor’s Office.

Shaitanov is said to have passed state secrets over to Russia and also looked for people among former SBU officers to help him execute a terrorist attack.

Shaitanov allegedly intended to kill Chechen volunteer Adam Osmayev, who headed the Dzhokhar Dudayev Chechen Peacekeeping Battalion fighting on the side of Ukraine in the war in the Donbas.

Russian law enforcement suspects Osmayev of plotting to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin and head Ramzan Kadyrov, head of the Chechen Republic.

To add to the official charges against him, Shaitanov is also known for his conduct during the Euromaidan demonstrations, where he commanded a unit that stormed a Trade Union House in Kyiv, causing a blaze that killed several people inside.

Later, he undermined orders given by higher command during the Donbas war, refusing, among other things, to eliminate the separatists’ checkpoints around Sloviansk, which allowed units led by Igor Strelkov (Girkin) to gain a foothold in the city. 

Shaitanov was only fired from the SBU in 2020, after his arrest.