On December 29, 2025, a panel of judges (Ukhanenko S.A., Kashpur O.V., Sokolov V.M.) of the Cassation Administrative Court made a decision that could become a fatal precedent for hundreds of foreign volunteers defending Ukraine. The court actually legitimized the deprivation of the legal residence status of Leonid Chemodanov (call sign "Zelony"), the defender of the Donetsk airport, based on bureaucratic formalism and dubious data from the aggressor country.
The Supreme Court sided with the State Migration Service (SMS), overturning the decisions of the courts of first and appellate instances that had previously protected the volunteer. The panel of judges recognized information from the so-called “law enforcement officers” of the Russian Federation as “sufficient grounds” for repressions against the veteran. This is despite the official position of the SBU, which confirms that deporting Chemodanov to Russia is a direct ticket to a torture chamber or extrajudicial execution.
The panel, which ignored the soldier's contribution to national security and the threat to his life, included the following judges:
— Ukhanenko Serhiy Anatoliyovych (Chairman) — previously received a negative opinion from the Public Integrity Council (PIC), which mentioned issues regarding his family's income and compliance with integrity criteria. Elected to the Supreme Court in 2019.
— Kashpur Olga Valeriyevna — elected to the Supreme Court in 2019.
— Sokolov Volodymyr Mykolayovych — previously received a negative opinion from the Public Integrity Council. Elected to the Supreme Court in 2019.
In its decision, the Court recognized that data from the Russian Federation's registers is a weighty argument for Ukrainian justice during a full-scale war. “Your feat will not protect you from the Ukrainian bureaucracy, which feeds on Russian registers.” — this is the signal that Themis is sending today to volunteers defending Ukraine.
Leonid Chemodanov came to Ukraine more than 15 years ago, having renounced Russian citizenship. Since 2014, he has been defending Ukraine with weapons in his hands as part of the Right Sector State Unitary Enterprise, in particular in the hottest spots of the ATO and at the Donetsk airport. Despite his status as a combatant, the State Migration Service (SMS) canceled his residence permit. The reason was information from the National Police, which, in turn, used data from Russian registers that Leonid was allegedly another person wanted by the Russian Federation for “criminal crimes.” “Zelony” continues to volunteer for the army, and his main fight is for the right to reside in the country for which he risked his life.
