Judge of the Kropyvnytskyi Court of Appeal visited Crimea after the annexation

Judge of the Kropyvnytskyi Court of Appeal visited Crimea after the annexation and maintained contacts with Russian security services

Viktoria Kabanova, a judge of the Criminal Division of the Kropyvnytskyi Court of Appeal, regularly visited the occupied Crimea for several years, maintained contacts with Russian security services, and obtained a Russian taxpayer identification number. This is evidenced by data obtained from law enforcement agencies.

Trips to Crimea and interaction with Russian structures

According to sources, between 2014 and 2022, Kabanova was in Crimea on multiple occasions, where she met with representatives of Russian security and law enforcement agencies. The latter provided her with security guarantees during her stay on the peninsula.

As indicated by official data from the Russian tax registry, the judge voluntarily obtained a Russian TIN (911012169438), effectively recognising Russian jurisdiction. The document was issued against her Ukrainian passport (series EA 625952).

In addition, Kabanova paid taxes to the Russian budget while being in the territory temporarily controlled by Russia.

Real estate in Crimea and questionable declarations

In 2013, Kabanova purchased a residential house of 69.4 m² with a land plot of 577.24 m² in Crimea.

During the qualification assessment by the High Qualification Commission of Judges (HQJC), she claimed that she acquired the land legally, having submitted the relevant application to local authorities back in 2004. However, her explanations raised additional questions among the commission members, as the house construction began long before the property rights to the land were formalised.

It is also known that between 2014 and 2017, Kabanova and her family regularly visited the occupied peninsula, which she explained by the need to look after her property.