Russia illegally sentences eight more Ukrainian prisoners of war
A court in Moscow, the Second Western Military Court, has imprisoned eight Ukrainian prisoners of war, soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), on charges of “terrorist acts” in the Kursk region, which was reported by the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation.
Ukrainian POWs (from left to right): Borys Dombek, Zoltan Brovdi, Viktor Klymchuk, Oleksii Pinchuk, Yevhen Khatenko, and Oleksandr Vedernikov. Video screenshotsThe individuals in question include:
- Borys Dombek, a prisoner of war from the 41st Separate Mechanized Brigade of the AFU, who was sentenced to 16 years in a penal colony;
- Zoltan Brovdi and Viktor Klymchuk, both from the 22nd Separate Mechanized Brigade, received sentences of 16 and 15 years, respectively.
Servicemen from the 44th Separate Mechanized Brigade were also convicted. Oleksii Pinchuk and Yevhen Khatenko were each imprisoned for 16 years, while Oleksandr Vedernikov was sentenced to 17 years.
Additionally, Oleksandr Dzema and Denys Popov, servicemen from the 92nd Separate Assault Brigade, each received 15-year prison terms for alleged terrorist activities in the Kursk region.
The prosecution claimed that the prisoners of war had allegedly seized private residences, obstructed the evacuation of civilians, and hindered the defense of Russian military personnel.
- Ukrainian POWs Oleksandr Dzema and Denys Popov. Video screenshot
Russian authorities assert that the Ukrainian servicemen were in the Sudzhansky and Korenivsky districts from the beginning of September, where they were captured.
During the court hearing, all of the prisoners of war reportedly confessed guilt, likely under physical and psychological duress.
By way of background, according to the Geneva Conventions, Ukrainian military personnel cannot be held liable solely for participating in military operations. Therefore, the very existence of such trials in Russia violates the legal immunity of prisoners of war.
Ukrainian authorities have stated that in the Kursk region, the AFU formed a “buffer (sanitary) zone” for self-defense, under Article 51 of the UN Charter, in response to shelling from that territory targeting Ukrainian civilian cities.
Previously, in Russia, two soldiers from the 22nd Separate Mechanized Brigade of the AFU were sentenced to 16 years of imprisonment on fabricated charges of “terrorist acts” in the Kursk region.
