Tuesday, 12 September ‘23

Courts in Sumy and Chernihiv Issue War Crimes Sentences

On August 28, the Chernihiv District Court sentenced in absentia Russian military officer Aleksandr Dudarev to 12 years in prison for the brutal treatment of a civilian during the occupation of Lukashivka, a village 20 kilometres south of the regional centre of Chernihiv.

According to the investigation, on March 14, 2022 two Russian soldiers detained a villager and beat him in an attempt to get information about the location of Ukraine's Armed Forces. The accused hit the victim's head with the butt of a machine gun, and his accomplice shot him in the leg.

On August 30, the Trostyanets District Court in the north-eastern region of Sumy convicted in absentia Russian sergeant Ilyas Sadikov to 11 years in prison for robbing civilians during the occupation of the village of Zhigaylivka. 

In March 2022, Sadikov, a resident of Moscow region, demanded money in foreign currency from a civilian couple. When the man was taken away for questioning, the wife gave him everything she had - 1,000 hryvnias ( 29 US dollars) and 500 euros (534 dollars). The accused threw away the hryvnias and kept the euros. According to the prosecutor's office, Sadikov has left Russia’s armed forces to continue his career as a football player.

Both Dudarev and Sadikov have 30 days to appeal the sentences. 

Russian Lieutenant Issued Suspicion for Rape

National police investigators reported in absentia Russian lieutenant Oleksandr Lebid of the suspicion under Part 1 of Article 438 of the criminal code concerning cruel treatment of civilians, in the violation of the laws and customs of war. He is suspected of two episodes of rape and sexual violence during the occupation of the Visokopil territorial community in the southern region of Kherson in the spring of 2022.

According to the investigation, on April 6, 2022 Lebid took an underage girl from a private house in one of the villages of the community, allegedly for questioning. He assaulted her before forcing her into a car carrying the Russian Z sign and drove to a local store, where he forced her to drink alcohol. He threatened her with a weapon, beat her on the head and body and then raped her.

The second episode occurred with another girl on May 15. Days before, Lebid went twice to the second victim to question her and check her mobile phone. In both instances he threatened the girl with a weapon and forced her to undress in the passenger compartment of the car. Then on May 15, he returned to her house, allegedly for questioning, forced her to drink alcohol and then raped her in his car.

Six Russian Soldiers Issued Suspicion for Looting

Investigators of Ukraine’s security service (SBU) issued a suspicion in absentia against six Russian servicemen for violating the laws and customs of war by a group of persons, under Part 2 of Article 28 and Part 1 of Article 438 of the criminal code. The accused are two anti-aircraft gunners, Tymofiy Lukshin and Dmitriy Beregovy, and four department commanders, Nikita Zhuchkov, Maksym Zdir, Dmitriy Astanov and Kirill Zherebov.

According to the investigation, in March 2022 during the occupation of Bohdanivka in the Kyiv region, the six servicemen broke into a private house and looted it, loading all stolen items onto an armoured infantry fighting vehicle. 

Stolen valuables included power tools, household appliances, silver and gold jewellery, clothing, sports equipment, televisions, printers and silver spoons; they also stole silver graduation medals.  

The suspects recorded their crime on video, saving it on a flash disk. It was then found in the military jacket that one of the soldiers had left behind as the Russian forces were driven out of the Kyiv region. The video became a key element of evidence for the alleged war crime.