Former Vice Admiral of the Ukrainian Navy Serhiy Yeliseyev, who at the time of the occupation of Crimea was serving as acting commander of the Ukrainian fleet and defected to the enemy, subsequently building a career in the Russian fleet, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison, the Office of the Prosecutor General reported on Thursday, UNN writes.
The former First Deputy Commander of the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Vice Admiral Serhiy Yeliseyev, was sentenced in absentia to 15 years of imprisonment with the deprivation of the military rank of "Vice Admiral."
According to the prosecution, at the beginning of the occupation of Crimea in 2014, he was effectively serving as acting commander of the Ukrainian fleet; however, he refused to follow the orders of the state leadership, violated his military oath, and defected to the side of the aggressor state.
The verdict was delivered by the Prymorskyi District Court of Odesa on June 8, 2026, following a public prosecution by the Specialized Prosecutor's Office in the Military Sphere of the Southern Region.
The court found him guilty of high treason, desertion, encroachment on the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine, participation in a terrorist organization, and waging an aggressive war. Prosecutors proved that his actions contributed to undermining the state's defense capabilities, the seizure of Ukrainian warships, and the establishment of Russian military control over the Crimean Peninsula.
After entering the service of the Russian Federation in July 2014, Yeliseyev was appointed Deputy Commander of the Russian Baltic Fleet, where he was responsible for the combat training of personnel. Even after large-scale personnel purges in the fleet command in 2016, he retained his position.
Subsequently, as indicated, the convict publicly supported the aggressor state and demonstratively participated in its propaganda events. He is currently under sanctions from Ukraine, the USA, Canada, Great Britain, the European Union, and other partner states.