On October 17, it became known that the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced 15 Ukrainian prisoners of war to terms ranging from 15 to 21 years in a strict regime colony.
Points of attention
- Russian court accused Ukrainian defenders of 'participation in a terrorist organization' and 'forcible seizure of power,' leading to lengthy prison terms.
- The case involved two women, doctors Liliya Prutyan and Maryna Mishchenko, who were separated into separate proceedings.
Russian authorities continue to abuse prisoners of war
The Russian court cynically and baselessly accused the Ukrainian defenders of "participation in a terrorist organization," "forcible seizure of power," and "undergoing training for terrorist purposes."
Moreover, it is stated that the accusation against each prisoner was based solely on the fact that they served in the Aidar battalion.
This means that none of the defendants were charged with any specific war crimes.
Russian judges announced the following terms for them:
Vitaliy Gruzinov, Roman Nedostup, and Serhiy Kalinchenko each received 21 years in a strict regime colony;
Mykola Chupryna, Taras Radchenko, Semen Zabayrachny, Serhiy Nikityuk, Oleksandr Taranets and Vladyslav Yermolynskyi — 20 years old;
Volodymyr Makarenko and Ihor Gayokha — 18 years old;
Andriy Sholik, Vitaliy Krokhalyov and Vyacheslav Baydyuk — 16 years old;
Dmytro Fedchenko — 15 years old.
The same case involved two women — doctors Liliya Prutyan and Maryna Mishchenko, who returned to Ukraine as part of a prisoner exchange. The charges against them were separated into separate proceedings.
