‘DPR’ terrorists sentence 33 Ukrainian servicemen to 27 to 29 years in prison, Ukraine reacts

The Russian Investigative Committee’s press service reported this.

On February 7, the terrorists of the self-proclaimed 'DPR' said that Ukrainian defenders were "found guilty" of "cruel treatment of civilians, murder, attempted murder and intentional damage to property.”

The fake court of the 'DPR' sentenced the servicemen of the 36th Detached Marine Brigade and the 17th Detached Tank Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to a "strict regime" colony.

Ukraine's response

Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets reacted to the "verdict" of the court of the self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic".

"A cynical decision of the non-existent "DPR Supreme Court" on the day when civilian Ukrainians are being killed as a result of a Russian missile attack on residential buildings in Ukrainian cities. I would like to emphasize once again that the verdicts are being passed by quasi-entities unrecognized by the international community and are illegal. Such a "trial" is a violation of the right to a fair trial and another war crime by Russia," he wrote.

The Ombudsman also emphasized that the verdicts passed by the so-called "court" of the quasi-autonomous entity "DPR" are a gross violation of the Third Geneva Convention in terms of the right of prisoners to a fair trial and the prevention of torture, and can be considered a war crime.

Dmytro Lubinets noted that he would appeal to the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross regarding this Russian crime.

• On May 17, the Coordination Headquarters stated that trials of Ukrainian soldiers in Russia sometimes interfere with the exchange of prisoners of war.