Six Russian commanders sentenced in absentia for attacks on Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant

A Ukrainian court has found two major generals and four battalion tactical group commanders from Russia's Rosgvardia (National Guard) guilty in absentia of violating the laws and customs of war and sentenced each to 12 years' imprisonment for the shelling of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in 2022.

Source: Ukraine's Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko; Ukrainska Pravda source in law enforcement

Details: On the night of 3-4 March 2022, Russian forces stormed the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe's largest nuclear power station. With tanks and heavy armoured vehicles providing cover, the occupiers shelled the plant's territory for several hours, including targeting the nuclear reactors and a spent nuclear fuel storage facility.

Despite warnings about the risk of a man-made disaster, the shelling did not stop. A fire broke out at the plant and critically important networks and communications were damaged. The Russian forces prevented firefighters from extinguishing the fire, while plant employees remained trapped at their workstations.

Experts confirmed that the occupiers' actions could have led to the destruction of the reactors' protective barriers and a large-scale release of radioactive materials. The consequences of such a scenario could have affected not only Ukraine but also other European countries.

The court established that the assault was led by two major generals and four Rosgvardia battalion tactical group commanders. They coordinated the actions of the units and oversaw the use of weapons during the seizure of the plant.

Following a case brought by prosecutors from Zaporizhzhia Oblast Prosecutor's Office, the court found all six guilty of violating the laws and customs of war. Each was sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment. The verdict was handed down under a special in absentia judicial procedure.

According to Ukrainska Pravda, those convicted are:

Aleksei Yuryevich Dombrovsky (Major General), Dmitry Petrovich Chistyakov (Major General), Muradkhan Alderhanovich Akhmedkhanov, Sergei Nikolaevich Dovgan, Yuri Nikolaevich Lukachev and Aleksei Alekseyevich Reshetnev.

Quote from Prosecutor General: "The shelling of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant was one of the most dangerous episodes of this war. It was a deliberate attack on a facility where an accident could have caused a large-scale radiation disaster.

Even years later, accountability for such crimes is inevitable. Everyone who gave orders, directed the shelling or knowingly posed a threat to nuclear safety must be brought to justice. This is a principled position from which we will not retreat."

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