Pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine sentenced five Ukrainian servicemen to harsh prison terms on Monday for alleged abuses against civilians, the Russian Investigative Committee announced.
Serving in the Azov regiment, which distinguished itself in the defense of the city of Mariupol in 2022, Andrey Klementovitch, Ivan Melnikovich and Artur Sivitsky were found guilty of wounding civilians, according to a press release.
The Ukrainian army was sentenced to 20 years in prison for “cruel treatment of civilians” and “attempted gang murder of several people based on ideological hatred.”
These men were captured during the Russian offensive in Ukraine against ranks of the Azov regiment, made up of Ukrainian nationalists and considered a terrorist organization by Moscow.
According to the separatist Investigative Committee, the military had “received orders to prevent the withdrawal to Russia” of populations and “kill those suspected of helping” civilians.
The entity published a video on its ‘site’ where you can see the three handcuffed soldiers listening to the sentence behind bars on the bench, before leaving the room.
These sentences were handed down by the “Supreme Court” of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR, in eastern Ukraine), controlled by Moscow, which last year demanded its annexation, which was not recognized by the international community.
A Ukrainian soldier, Bogdan Smaga, was also sentenced to 17 years in prison for alleged abuses against civilians near the eastern city of Lugansk, according to the Russian Investigative Committee.
And another soldier, Igor Lemechev, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the death of a civilian during the shelling of a nearby town.
Source: TSF
