Details revealed of 49 Russian judges accused of convicting Ukrainian prisoners on trumped-up charges

The Book of Executioners of the Ukrainian People has revealed the names of 49 Russian military judges it says have been involved in handing down false verdicts against Ukrainian citizens held in captivity.

Source: The Book of Executioners

Details: The list includes 26 judges from Russia's Southern District Military Court who have handed down at least 128 guilty verdicts against Ukrainian citizens, including prisoners of war, since August 2022. It also includes 23 judges from Russia's 2nd Western District Military Court, who have sentenced 224 Ukrainians in the same way.

At least 150 cases were still pending hearings by these judges when the Book of Executioners' material was prepared, indicating that the conveyor belt of fabricated cases continues to run.

The project found that the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don has handed down guilty verdicts in a total of 436 cases against Ukrainian citizens since 2022. Other military courts are hearing similar fabricated cases on a smaller scale.

Ukrainians are most frequently convicted of undergoing training for terrorist activities (Article 205.3 of the Russian Criminal Code) and participation in a terrorist group (Article 205.4). These are the articles under which the vast majority of the defenders of the Azovstal steelworks were tried. Typical sentences range from 13 to 18 years in prison, with life imprisonment imposed in some cases.

Testimonies collected from Ukrainian servicemen who have been released from captivity indicate that the fabrication of cases during interrogations that go on for hours is accompanied by systematic torture, including electric shocks, beatings, mock executions and sexual violence. Former prisoners estimate that the use of force is intended to extract specific "confessions" in only around 30% of cases; in the rest, it was aimed at intimidating and "preparing" prisoners for interrogation by investigators.

Once the main stage of case preparation was complete, the prisoners tried by the Southern District Military Court were transferred to Pre-trial Detention Centre No. 1 in Rostov-on-Don, where conditions were less harsh. This was done to conceal signs of torture before they appeared in court.

An analysis of the verdicts shows that the court hearings generally consisted of two formal sessions, each lasting 30 minutes: one to read out the charges and the other to deliver the verdict. No genuine examination of evidence or questioning of witnesses took place, nor was there any proper defence.

List of identified judges:

The data is based on verified identification details and an analysis of materials from criminal cases.

2nd Western District Military Court of Russia

Judge Vitaly Bakin handed down guilty verdicts against eight Ukrainian citizens.

Judge Oleg Belousov (details being verified) handed down guilty verdicts against eight Ukrainian citizens.

Judge Eduard Borisov (details being verified) handed down guilty verdicts against two Ukrainian citizens.

Judge Sergei Brovko handed down guilty verdicts against six Ukrainian citizens.

Judge Roman Vladimirov handed down guilty verdicts against 11 Ukrainian citizens.

Judge Igor Drugachenko handed down guilty verdicts against 11 Ukrainian citizens.

Judge Timur Zhidkov (details being verified) handed down guilty verdicts against 15 Ukrainian citizens.

Judge Yevgeny Zubov handed down guilty verdicts against 12 Ukrainian citizens.

Judge Dmitry Ivanov handed down guilty verdicts against seven Ukrainian citizens.

Judge Anton Kakadaev handed down guilty verdicts against 15 Ukrainian citizens.

Judge Roman Kiforenko handed down guilty verdicts against 11 Ukrainian citizens.

Judge Alexander Kondratyev handed down guilty verdicts against 10 Ukrainian citizens.

Judge Vadim Krasnov handed down guilty verdicts against three Ukrainian citizens.

Judge Sergei Krivosheyev handed down guilty verdicts against 12 Ukrainian citizens.

Judge Yuri Massin handed down guilty verdicts against 17 Ukrainian citizens.

Judge Andrei Morozov handed down guilty verdicts against 17 Ukrainian citizens.

Judge Alexander Nassukha (details being verified) handed down a guilty verdict against one Ukrainian citizen.

Judge Igor Nikitchuk (details being verified) handed down guilty verdicts against 15 Ukrainian citizens.

Judge Andrei Pluzhnikov (details being verified) handed down guilty verdicts against seven Ukrainian citizens.

Judge Konstantin Repeta handed down guilty verdicts against three Ukrainian citizens.

Judge Vasily Sai handed down guilty verdicts against four Ukrainian citizens.

Judge Igor Semin (details being verified) handed down guilty verdicts against 10 Ukrainian citizens.

Judge Albert Trishkin handed down guilty verdicts against 19 Ukrainian citizens.

Southern District Military Court of Russia

Judge Ilya Bezgub handed down guilty verdicts against 11 Ukrainian citizens.

Judge Nikolai Vasilchuk (details being verified) handed down a guilty verdict against one Ukrainian citizen.

Judge Denis Vovchenko handed down guilty verdicts against three Ukrainian citizens.

Judge Oleg Volkov (details being verified) is hearing one case.

Judge Denis Galkin handed down guilty verdicts against 11 Ukrainian citizens.

Judge Alexander Generalov handed down guilty verdicts against four Ukrainian citizens.

Judge Sergei Gorelov handed down guilty verdicts against two Ukrainian citizens.

Judge Pavel Gubarev handed down guilty verdicts against 12 Ukrainian citizens.

Judge Gurgen Dovlatbekyan (details being verified) handed down guilty verdicts against four Ukrainian citizens.

Judge Arslan Zhaginov handed down guilty verdicts against three Ukrainian citizens.

Judge Igor Kostin (details being verified) handed down guilty verdicts against four Ukrainian citizens.

Judge Kirill Krivtsov handed down guilty verdicts against 12 Ukrainian citizens.

Judge Sakit Lachinov (details being verified) handed down guilty verdicts against three Ukrainian citizens.

Judge Alexei Magomadov (details being verified) is hearing one case.

Judge Vitaly Mamedov (details being verified) handed down guilty verdicts against three Ukrainian citizens.

Judge Timur Mashukov handed down guilty verdicts against eight Ukrainian citizens.

Judge Andrei Minashkin handed down guilty verdicts against eight Ukrainian citizens.

Judge Maxim Nikitin (details being verified) handed down guilty verdicts against two Ukrainian citizens.

Judge Sergei Obraztsov (details being verified) handed down guilty verdicts against four Ukrainian citizens.

Judge Valery Opanasenko handed down guilty verdicts against four Ukrainian citizens.

Judge Konstantin Prostov handed down guilty verdicts against seven Ukrainian citizens.

Judge Roman Saprunov handed down guilty verdicts against two Ukrainian citizens.

Judge Denis Stepanov handed down guilty verdicts against five Ukrainian citizens.

Judge Oleg Terentyev (details being verified) handed down guilty verdicts against three Ukrainian citizens.

Judge Oleg Cherepov (details being verified) handed down guilty verdicts against seven Ukrainian citizens.

Judge Artyom Shalayev handed down guilty verdicts against five Ukrainian citizens.

Background: The Book of Executioners recently published details of Russian military pilots who carried out missile strikes against civilian infrastructure in Odesa Oblast.

Your support on Patreon helps us keep the news free and accessible.