SBU issues notice of suspicion to Moscow mayor, who mobilized nearly 90,000 Moscow residents for war

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has collected evidence of war crimes committed by Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, who is using his own administrative resources to facilitate Russia's war against Ukraine.

"As the investigation has established, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Sobyanin 'mobilized' nearly 90,000 Muscovites to the front. According to available data, more than 70,000 residents of the Russian capital were recruited through Moscow 'contract military service selection centers,'" the SBU reported on its Telegram channel on Friday.

According to the Ukrainian intelligence service, Sobyanin headed a task force within the Coordination Council under the Russian government to organize mobilization work and provide other assistance to the armed groups of the occupiers.

"In this capacity, the official assists the aggressor country's Ministry of Defense in establishing additional capacity for mobilized and new enterprises within Russia's military-industrial complex," the message reads.

The department notes that Sobyanin also regularly deploys equipment and workers from the public utilities under his control—Mosvodokanal, Mosgaz, and Moskollektor—to equip Russian military facilities in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

"This primarily concerns the construction of fortifications and fortified areas in the frontline areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions," the SBU clarified.

Based on the evidence collected, Security Service investigators notified Sobyanin in absentia of suspicion under Part 5 of Article 27, Part 1 of Article 28, and Part 2 of Article 437 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (aiding and abetting the waging of an aggressive war committed by a group of persons).

Since the perpetrator is located within the Russian Federation, comprehensive measures are ongoing to hold him accountable for crimes against our state.

The investigation was conducted under the procedural guidance of the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO).