Russia sentences two Ukrainian POWs to 18 years in prison, another has sentence increased to 29 years

Two Ukrainian prisoners of war have each been sentenced to 18 years in a strict-regime penal colony by the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don, Russia.

Source: Russian media outlet Mediazona

Details: Vitalii Slobodeniuk, a 25-year-old artillery platoon gunner, and Bohdan Holovanov, a 24-year-old driver in a howitzer battalion, have each been sentenced to 18 years in a strict-regime penal colony for allegedly "participating in a terrorist organisation and receiving training for terror-related activities" under Russian law.

According to the Russian prosecution, both servicemen joined the Azov Regiment in 2021, underwent military training and were captured by Russian forces in 2022.

In addition, the Russian prosecutor's office reported an increased sentence for another Azov prisoner, 30-year-old Ruslan Kolodiazhnyi.

In 2023, he was sentenced to 26 years in a strict-regime penal colony for allegedly killing two civilians in Mariupol.

His sentence has now been extended to 29 years for additional "terrorism" offences due to his ties with the Azov Regiment.

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