A military court in Moscow sentenced captured Ukrainian soldiers who fought in Kursk Oblast, Vitalii Panchenko and Ivan Dmytrakov, to 14 and 15 years in prison, respectively, Russia’s state-owned TASS news agency reported on Dec. 12.
The court convicted the soldiers of "terrorism," accusing them of "opening fire to kill both Russian servicemen and civilians." Russia often uses trumped-up charges to jail captured Ukrainian soldiers, activists, journalists, and regular civilians for lengthy terms.
According to the court, Panchenko and Dmytrakov, who served in Ukraine’s 61st Separate Mechanized Brigade, crossed the Russian border into Kursk Oblast on Aug. 7. Ukrainian forces continue to hold on to a part of the embattled Russian region as Moscow's forces are attempting to push Kyiv's troops out.
Russia's Investigative Committee also accused the two servicemen of "illegally crossing the state border," even though Russian forces wage an all-out war on Ukrainian territory. The committee further claimed that they abducted three Russian citizens to Ukraine and that Panchenko and other Ukrainian soldiers looted a grocery store in the Ukraine-held town of Sudzha.
Both Panchenko and Dmytrakov will serve the first three years of their sentences in prison, followed by strict regime penal colonies.
The statement does not specify whether the two soldiers pleaded guilty. Ukrainian officials said that the vast majority of Ukrainian soldiers captured by Russia are subjected to physical and psychological torture.
The Russian media report that this is the first sentence issued by a Russian court against Ukrainian service members over alleged acts in Kursk Oblast.
In a separate case, Russian occupation authorities in Donetsk jailed nine Ukrainian soldiers captured after defending Mariupol to between 24 years and a life sentence, the city's exiled authorities reported on Dec. 11.
While Ukraine has successfully facilitated the release of some captives through prisoner exchanges, many Ukrainians remain in Russian captivity, often under severe conditions.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
(Updated: )
