Russian court sentences 15 Ukrainian POWs to up to 21 years in strict-regime penal colony
Fifteen Ukrainian prisoners of war have been sentenced to prison terms ranging from 15 to 21 years in a strict-regime penal colony by the Yuzhny District Military Court in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don.
Source: Current Time and Mediazona, Russian media outlets
Details: The Russian authorities have accused the Ukrainian servicemen of "participation in a terrorist organisation", "violent seizure of power" and "training for terrorist purposes".
The charges against each of the defendants were based solely on their service in Ukraine's Aidar battalion, without any specific allegations of war crimes.The court issued the following sentences:
- Vitalii Hruzynov, Roman Nedostup and Serhii Kalynchenko – 21 years each in a strict-regime penal colony
- Mykola Chupryna, Taras Radchenko, Semen Zabairachnyi, Serhii Nikitiuk, Oleksandr Taranets and Vladyslav Yermolynskyi – 20 years each
- Volodymyr Makarenko and IIhor Haiokha – 18 years each
- Andrii Sholik, Vitalii Krokhalov and Viacheslav Baidiuk – 16 years each
- Dmytro Fedchenko – 15 years
Two female medics, Liliia Prutian and Maryna Mishchenko, were also named in the case but have since returned to Ukraine as part of a prisoner exchange. The charges against them have been separated into a different proceeding.
The Ukrainian prisoners of war told the court that they were tortured during the investigation in the territory of the so-called Donetsk People's Republic. In October 2024, the court closed the hearings to the public, citing the "sensitive nature" of the case and "threats to the participants".
One of the Russian defence lawyers has said the trial of the Aidar fighters violates international law. The lawyers have reportedly faced serious obstacles in their work, including restricted access to their clients, undermining the principles of a fair trial.
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