The Western District Military Court of Moscow has sentenced seven Ukrainian prisoners of war who, according to the Russian side, participated in hostilities in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation. The servicemen were sentenced to terms of 15 to 16 years in prison.
Points of attention
- A court in the Russian Federation has sentenced seven Ukrainian prisoners of war to prison terms on charges of terrorist activities.
- Accusing the military of violating the sovereignty of the Russian Federation is confirmation of the Kremlin's aggressive policy in the international arena.
- The conviction of Ukrainian defenders in the Russian Federation is a violation of international standards for the treatment of prisoners of war.
- The occupation authorities plan to have Ukrainian military personnel serve their sentences in strict regime colonies, which is unacceptable under international law.
- The actions of the occupiers of Ukraine are a gross violation of the Geneva Conventions and confirm the lawlessness in the occupied territories.
Russia illegally sentenced seven Ukrainian prisoners of war
The court claims that the Ukrainian military, “violating the sovereignty of the Russian Federation,” “illegally invaded the territory of the Korenevsky district of the Kursk region for the purpose of terrorist activities.”
According to the case materials, they were charged with committing a terrorist act based on prior conspiracy.
The Russian side has illegally accused the military of “repeatedly opening fire on Russian military personnel and civilians.” Prosecutors also claim that the Ukrainian military “prohibited citizens from using mobile phones, restricted their movement, and impeded evacuation.”
The court illegally found Anatoliy Voloshyn, Volodymyr Arshulyk, Serhiy Karayev, Oleksandr Doychuk, Zinovy Sygerich, Andrian Kulbaba, and Oleh Vovk guilty of “committing a terrorist act by a group of persons in a prior conspiracy, which caused grave consequences.”
Nine defenders of Mariupol sentenced in occupied Donetsk
As noted, Ukrainian servicemen who were on the territory of the Azovstal steel plant and were captured were accused of allegedly "shelling" the village of Stary Krym in March 2022.
The occupiers sentenced the defenders to long terms of imprisonment: from 24 years to life imprisonment. It is reported that all the convicts belong to the 36th Separate Marine Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Among those illegally convicted:
Andriy Shestak,
Nazariy Moroz,
Vladyslav Yavorsky,
Vadym Shulga,
Serhiy Yampolsky,
Maxim Kolbasin,
Dmitry Shalara,
Volodymyr Penzin,
Konstantin Romaniuk.
The occupation authorities announced that the Ukrainian military will serve their sentences in a maximum-security prison.
These actions by the occupiers are a gross violation of international law, in particular the Geneva Conventions, which regulate the treatment of prisoners of war.
