Russian Citizen Faces Charges for Justifying Aggression and Spreading Propaganda, Ukrainian Officials Report

Ukrainian authorities have issued new criminal charges against former Yalta Film Studio director Dmytro Taran for allegedly promoting Russian propaganda and justifying Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, according to a report by the Center for Investigative Journalism.

Prosecutors have filed the charges in absentia against Taran, who currently resides in Moscow. The 57-year-old filmmaker and blogger stands accused of publishing content on his YouTube channel that investigators say justified Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine.

The Office of the Prosecutor General confirmed that in May 2023, Taran released a video titled “Ukraine Against NATO” in which he reportedly blamed Western nations for the war in Ukraine while advocating for forcible changes to Ukraine’s borders. Investigators claim they have documented numerous similar video materials created by the defendant.

The charges filed against Taran fall under three articles of the Ukrainian Criminal Code, including justification of war and praising the occupiers under Article 436-2. If convicted, he could face between five and eight years imprisonment with property confiscation.

This is not Taran’s first encounter with Ukrainian authorities. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) had previously notified him of suspicion for encroachment on Ukraine’s territorial integrity under Article 110 of the Criminal Code.

Born in Kakhovka, Kherson region in 1966, Taran began his career as a portrait painter before relocating to Crimea in 2003. He served as director of the Yalta Film Studio from 2006 to 2010, a role he reportedly resumed under Russian occupation until 2024.

According to investigators, Taran has a lengthy history of anti-Ukrainian activity dating back to 2014, when Russia illegally annexed Crimea. Reports indicate he openly supported the annexation and participated in a congress aimed at creating “Novorossiya” as a delegate from Kherson region. During this period, he allegedly referred to his native region as “the former region of the Southeast of the former Ukraine.”

The Center for Investigative Journalism reports that for years Taran hosted propaganda programs on television channels in occupied Crimea. He allegedly maintained a LiveJournal blog under the pseudonym “Graf Kakhovskiy,” where he published anti-Ukrainian content, though the blog reportedly gained little traction.

Sources claim Taran now struggles financially in Moscow, where he attempts to make a living as a “family consultant” and head of the self-styled “School of Family Harmony,” marketing himself as “an expert in the field of relationships and personal growth.” Despite his apparent financial difficulties, investigators allege he continues to maintain contact with relatives in Ukrainian-controlled territories while advocating for Ukraine’s destruction.

The case highlights Ukraine’s ongoing efforts to prosecute individuals accused of supporting Russian aggression, including those operating from abroad. Similar charges have been filed against various officials working with Russian occupation administrations, including a recent case involving the head of the so-called Russian-occupied administration in left-bank Kherson region, who allegedly organized a “volunteer battalion” supporting Russian forces.

Ukrainian authorities continue to track and document alleged collaborationist activities as part of broader efforts to counter Russian influence operations during the ongoing conflict that began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.