Ukraine sentences Russian soldier to life for killing two civilians in Kharkiv region

The Prosecutor General's Office reports the information.

According to the investigation, a soldier from the 23rd Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 6th Combined Arms Army of the Russian Federation, with the call sign Dukh, participated in combat operations against Ukrainian defenders in the Kupiansk region. In October 2024, together with other occupiers, he was stationed in the village of Petropavlivka. There, the Russians illegally detained three civilian men who had come to the village to rescue their surviving property.

"At first, the civilians were held for several days with their hands tied in a house, where they were interrogated. The goal was to force information out of them about the locations of Ukrainian troops. Fortunately, one of the men managed to escape. The other two remained in Russian custody.

On October 8, 2024, the convicted soldier received an order over the radio from his direct commander, call sign Grif - whose identity is still being established - to kill them. He shot the two Ukrainian civilians with an AK-74 inside the house," the statement says.

Soon after, Ukrainian Defense Forces captured the occupier.

Prosecutors proved beyond doubt the guilt of a 21-year-old Russian soldier in violating the laws and customs of war, combined with intentional murder (Part 2 of Article 28, Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). He was sentenced to life imprisonment. During the trial, the defendant admitted his guilt.

• A resident of Kupiansk, who handed over 122,000 liters of diesel fuel belonging to Ukrainian railways to the occupiers, was sentenced to 10 years in prison.