Mariupol, on the Sea of Azov, fell to Russian forces after it was nearly razed to the ground during a month-long siege last spring and has been occupied by Russian troops ever since.
Thousands of Ukrainian fighters were captured after Russia took control of Mariupol last year. Some were sent to Russia or tried by Moscow-backed courts in occupied eastern Ukraine.
Moscow’s Investigative Committee reported that three soldiers of the Ukrainian tank battalion – Alexey Koval, Andriy Chumak and Valery Federovich – were sentenced to 26 years in prison.
In the occupied Donetsk region, they were found guilty of harsh treatment of civilians in Mariupol.
The committee said the men fired at an administrative building between March and April 2022, and accused them of attempted murder and damage to property.
Russia also announced that Ukrainian military sniper Ikhor Kleschiunov, who was found guilty of killing four civilians, has been sentenced to life in prison.
The Investigative Committee said that in March 2022 he shot and killed three unarmed men who were near combat positions and another man who was not involved in an armed conflict.
In recent months, Russia has been sentencing more and more captured Ukrainian soldiers.
The same court sentenced two other captured Ukrainian soldiers to 26 years in prison less than a week ago.
Rights groups and Western countries have criticized Moscow for trials of captured Ukrainian soldiers taking place in occupied Ukrainian territory or in Russia itself.
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2024-09-29 23:47:11
