Courtside

Vakulenko was murdered during the occupation of Izium in 2022 after being abducted from his home by Russian soldiers. © Maria Lysytska-Beskorska/Creative Commons

Hearing Over Murder of Famed Children’s Author Adjourned

The body was found in a mass grave in Izium; forensic examination confirmed he had been shot.

25 Feb 25

A 33-year-old Russian soldier, Alexander Kuleshov participated in the occupation of the Kupiansk district of the Kharkiv region and is linked to at least two kidnappings of police officers in March 2022. © Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Closed-Door Trial for Russian Soldier Accused of Torturing Police Officers

Due to security concerns, the victims requested the proceedings not be open to the public.

25 Feb 25

A member of the Ukrainian military walks through the basement rooms of a restaurant local residents say was used as a torture site by Russian forces during their occupation of Snihurivka on November 23, 2022. © Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Russian Captain Convicted for Torturing Ukrainian Police Officers

The court classified the victims as civilians who maintained their protective status, rather than combatants.

20 Feb 25

Items are seen inside a cell at a temporary detention centre which is believed to have been used by Russian forces to jail and torture civilians on November 16, 2022 in Kherson, Ukraine, © Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Russian Soldier Accused of Sexual Assault of Kherson Man

Civilian was among residents held and tortured during the first weeks of the occupation.

20 Feb 25

Crosses remain in exhumed graves in a mass gravesite on January 21, 2025 in Izyum, Ukraine. © Carl Court/Getty Images

Two Izyum Murder Cases Combined in One Proceeding

One of the alleged victims has never been found; the other was buried in a mass grave.

18 Feb 25

The trial of the Russian servicemen Konstantin Smirnov and Denis Podgorny began in July 2024 and the verdict was announced by a three-judge panel of the Chernihiv District Court on February 3, 2025. © Oksana Matsopa/IWPR

Russian Soldiers Convicted of Executing Brothers

One brother survived and was able to identify those responsible for killing his two siblings.

6 Feb 25

People hold banners, flags and photographs during a rally to raise awareness of Ukrainian soldiers who are being held prisoners of war by the Russians, on January 18, 2025 in Kharkiv, Ukraine. © Carl Court/Getty Images

Russian Soldier Faces Trial for Murder of Ukrainian POW

Case marks first time defendant in such a case has been physically present in court.

31 Jan 25

A mural of a Ukrainian serviceman is pictured on the side of an apartment block in Kharkiv's Saltivka district on January 20, 2025 in Kharkiv, Ukraine. © Carl Court/Getty Images

Russian Commander Has Life Sentence Upheld on Appeal

Court confirms guilt of battalion commander who ordered soldiers to fire on civilians in Kharkiv on the first day of all-out invasion.

30 Jan 25

On November 7, Russian paratrooper Andrii Medvedev, 33, attended the hearing at the Irpinsky city court. He is standing trial for abusing civilians during the occupation of Irpin, a town 25 kilometres west of the capital, in March 2022. © Irina Domashchenko

Court Begins Examining Evidence in Case of Russian POW

Soldier accused of imprisoning and beating local Ukrainian men to obtain intelligence about the armed forces.

31 Jul 24

Ukrainian citizen Hryhoriy Drahunenko, 62, has been sentenced to nine years in prison for collaborating with Russian troops in finding, arresting and beating civilians during the occupation of Novokiivka, a village in the Mykolaiv region. © National Police of Ukraine

Ukrainian National Sentenced for Collaboration

A pensioner helped the occupying forces identify Ukrainian men during the occupation of his village in the summer of 2022.

23 Jul 24

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