Russian proxies sentence 9 Azovstal defenders to 24 years, life in prison

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.

Russia often uses trumped-up charges to jail captured Ukrainian soldiers, activists, journalists, and regular civilians for lengthy terms.

Moscow's proxies in Donetsk now sentenced soldiers of the 36th Marine Brigade who fell into Russian hands after a gruesome siege of Mariupol and its Azovstal steel plant in the spring of 2022, the exiled Mariupol City Council said on Telegram.

Andrii Shestak, Nazarii Moroz, Vladyslav Yavorskyi, Vadym Shulha, Serhii Yampolskyi, Maksym Kolbasin, Dmytro Shalara, Volodymyr Penzin, and Kostiantyn Romaniuk are to serve their sentence in a high-security prison, according to the statement.

The occupation authorities accused the soldiers of shelling the village of Staryi Krym near Mariupol in March 2022.

Ukraine's former Prosecutor General said that nine out of 10 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POW) are subjected to physical and moral torture. While Ukraine has managed to bring back home some of the captives, including Azovstal defenders, through prisoner exchanges, many more remain in Russian captivity.