Ukraine Justice Briefing: Friday, 7 March ‘25

Russian Soldier Receives Second Conviction for Abusing Civilians

The Chernihiv district court sentenced a 31-year-old Russian soldier in absentia for abusing civilians during the occupation of the village of Zolotynka in Chernihiv region in March 2022. 

According to prosecutors, Orlan Dorzhu broke into a private house and, threatening its residents, demanded alcohol. When told there was none, he ransacked the house, found a bottle of cologne and drank it. He then stripped to the waist and forced the homeowner at gunpoint to massage his feet. Investigators report that the defendant returned the next day, beating the survivor with his rifle butt in a continued search for alcohol. On the third visit, he threatened to detonate a grenade, searched the house again and stole the homeowner's old Nokia mobile phone. The survivor confirmed the events while testifying in court and identified the defendant from a photograph. Dorzhu was sentenced on February 24, 2025 and his defence lawyer has 30 days to appeal the verdict.

This is the second time Dorzhu, originally from Russia’s Republic of Tuva, has been convicted of a war crime. In March 2024, the Chernihiv district court had already sentenced him in absentia for another incident. In that case, he was found guilty of threatening civilians with a grenade and imprisoning a family, including two children, in a basement in the village of Viktorivka in March 2022. The family managed to escape after seven hours when the mother used an axe to break a hole in the door. 

For these crimes, the court sentenced the Russian soldier in absentia to 12 years in prison for cruel treatment of civilians under Part 1 of Article 438 concerning the violation of the laws and customs of war of Ukraine’s criminal code.

Russian Officer Charged in Absentia for Rape and Torture

Ukrainian police in Zaporizhzhia charged in absentia a 40-year-old Russian National Guard officer, Shamil Makhmudov from Dagestan, for abusing civilians. He is suspected of unlawfully detaining and raping a woman from the Tokmak municipal community, which remains under Russian occupation. 

According to the indictment, Makhmudov acted in coordination with six unidentified Russian soldiers. In August 2022, Makhmudov and his accomplices stormed a local woman’s home, beat her and sexually assaulted her. They then placed a plastic bag over her head and transported her to a torture chamber within the occupied local police department. There, the woman was suspended by her hands from the ceiling and tortured while being interrogated about the location of weapons. Investigators say Makhmudov personally participated in the interrogations, threatening the victim and her relatives with violence.  The woman was held in a basement for four days, bound and without food and water.

Russian Commander Identified in Attempted Execution of Bucha Resident 

Police investigators have announced charges in absentia against 29-year-old Adil Navruzaliyev, a platoon commander from Russia’s Republic of Dagestan, for violating the laws and customs of war, combined with attempted murder under Part 2, Article 15; Part 2, Article 438 concerning the violation of the aws and customs of war of Ukraine’s criminal code.

The in absentia charges state that in March 2022, while patrolling the streets of Bucha, the suspect and other Russian soldiers noticed a local man walking home on Yablunska Street. Without warning, the soldiers opened fire. The man managed to escape to a nearby house and hide.

Investigators say the suspect pursued the victim, found his hiding place and shot the civilian with an assault rifle. He then approached the man lying motionless on the floor, kicked him and left, assuming the victim was dead. However, the wounded civilian survived. The prosecutor’s office states that this is the second time Navruzaliyev has faced criminal charges for the intentional killing of civilians.