Tuesday, 9 May ‘23

Two Russian Soldiers Guilty of Threatening To Burn a Man Alive

On April 27, the Chernihiv district court found two Russian soldiers guilty of threatening to set alight a civilian in violation of the laws and customs of war based on a prior conspiracy by a group of persons (Part 2 of Article 28, Part 1 of Article 438 of the criminal code of Ukraine). Commander Dmitriy Makhovsky was sentenced to 11 years and six months of imprisonment and Shivit Dongak, the subordinate who carried out the orders, to 11 years in prison.

At the beginning of March 2022, in the te village of Sloboda, occupied by Russian troops, the two servicemen illegally detained a civilian man in a village shop. They beat him to get information about the location of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, then took him out into the street, forced him to kneel, doused him with flammable liquid and threatened to set him on fire. The victim told the court that he recognised the accused from a photo. 

The trial was conducted in absentia. An appeal may be filed against the verdict within 30 days from its announcement.

Vice Admiral of Black Sea Fleet Suspected of Shelling Ukrainian Energy Facilities

Investigators of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported in absentia the suspicion to Viktor Sokolov, vice admiral of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Navy, of violating the laws and customs of war, waging an aggressive war based on a prior conspiracy by a group of persons and encroaching on the territorial integrity of Ukraine (Part 2 of Article 28; Part 1 and Part 2 of Article 438; Part 2 of Article 437 and Part 3 of Article 110 of the criminal code).

According to the investigation, between October 10, 2022 and March 9, 2023 Sokolov ordered the systematic firing of cruise missiles from warships of the Black Sea Fleet at 32 key energy facilities across Ukraine. As a result, four people were killed and 40 civilians were injured. The energy facilities are critical for the civilian population and are protected by international humanitarian law. 

Head of Ural Airline Notified of Suspicion for Complicity in Waging War 

SBU investigators reported in absentia the suspicion against Serhey Skuratov, the head of the Russian carrier Ural Airlines, for complicity with in waging an aggressive war (Part 5 of Article 27, Part 2 of Article 437 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

According to the investigation, Skuratov instructed the use of the airlines’ civilian aircrafts for military transport, including of servicemen, weapons and ammunition, as part of the war against Ukraine.

The civilian planes flew to the closed international airports of Platov, in Rostov-on-Don, and Simferopol in Crimea. 

Torture in Bohdanivka, Kyiv Region

Investigators in the Kyiv region reported in absentia Russian servicemen Alexey Bulgakov and Aleksandr Vasiliev on the suspicion of violation of the laws and customs of war due to a prior conspiracy by a group of persons and the giving of an order for brutal treatment of civilians (part 2 of article 28, part 1 of article 438 of the Criminal Code).

According to the investigation, in March 2022, the Russian military detained a civilian man in the building of a school in the occupied village of Bohdanivka in the Kyiv region.

The suspects interrogated the victim about the location of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. They tortured and beat him, strangled him by standing on his neck, cut his hand with a knife, and denied him food and water. As they did not get the information they were after, Bulgakov and Vasiliev ordered the man be killed. However, due to the condition of the victim, subordinate Russian soldiers did not obey, expecting him to die anyway. 

This is the second suspicion against the two servicemen. In April 2022, suspicions were reported to them in absentia for the capture, torture and public beating of a soldier of the territorial defense of the village of Bohdanivka. This case is currently being considered by the Brovary city district court of the Kyiv region.

Interior Ministry Launches Unified Register of Persons Disappeared Under Special Circumstances 

On May 2, deputy minister of Internal Affairs Leonid Tymchenko stated that the Unified Register of Persons Disappeared Under Special Circumstances was operational and open to relatives of those who have gone missing during the war.

Tymchenko said that it is “a completely secure database”, with only selected officials allowed to access it. As of May 2, there are about 23,000 people who are considered missing under special circumstances as a result of military operations.