Tuesday, 23 April ‘24

Yahidne: Appeal Filed Against the Sentence of 15 Russian Soldiers 

The defence attorneys in the case of civilians used as human shields in the village of Yahidne, in Chernihiv region, filed an appeal against the sentence received by sof 15 Russian soldiers. The lawyers appealed on the lack of evidence of the guilt of their clients at the court debates. On March 11, the servicemen were sentenced in absentia to 12 years in prison for forcibly evicting and keeping, in March 2022, 368 adults and children in the basement of a rural school and using them as human shields (Part 1 of Article 28, Part 1 of Article 438 concerning the violation of laws and customs of war of the criminal code of Ukraine. The appeal was reported by the Chernihiv district court, which handed down the verdict. The Chernihiv court of appeals scheduled the hearing for May 28. 

Two Russian Soldiers Issued Suspicion over Killing of Bucha Civilians 

Ukraine’s national police reported a suspicion in absentia to two Russian soldiers on charges of murdering four civilians in Bucha, a town in Kyiv region, in March 2022. The men are Gunner Tsyrenzhap Budayev, 21, from Buryatia, a republic in Russia’s far east, and the commander of the self-propelled artillery division, Aleksandr Khomenko, 41, from Russia’s region of Amur region of the Russian Federation. Investigators allege they violated the laws and customs of war, combined with intentional murder (Part 2 of Article 438 of the criminal code of Ukraine concerning the violation of the laws and customs of war. 

According to the investigation, the two were in Bucha between February 27 to March 30, 2022. Khomenko is suspected of shooting three civilians in Bucha on March 16, 2022: he reportedly wounded a 24-year-old woman in the leg and then shot a couple who came out of their house to provided her with first aid. All three died: one of the women was found with at least 15 gunshot wounds. 

On March 20, Budaev reportedly went down to the basement of a residential building on Yablunska Street and ordered a civilian to collect all the mobile phones from the residents who were sheltering. After the man complied with the task and was on the stairs at the entrance to the basement, Budaev shot him no less than four times. 

Two Russian Serviceman Sentenced in Absentia for Cruel Treatment of Civilians 

On April 16, the Chernihiv district court sentenced two Russian soldiers to 12 years in absentia for the cruel treatment of civilians, in violation of the laws and customs of war under Part 2 of Article 28 and Part 1 of Article 438 of the criminal code. Nikolai Budaev, 41, and Fayzybek Nematov, 29, were accused of mistreating a family in Ivanivka during the occupation of the village in Ukraine’s north-eastern region of Chernihiv.  

Victims and witnesses recognised the defendants from a photo during the pre-trial investigation. A neighbour testified in court and said that he hid the family in his house after they managed to escape as he knew that the Russian military was looking for them. The verdict has not entered into legal force and the defence has 30 days to appeal. According to law enforcement officers, the accused are currently in the territory of the Russian Federation and remain wanted.