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ukraine A Russian soldier has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of a Ukrainian prisoner of war in a historic verdict for the country.
Dmitry Kurashov, 27, was found guilty of shooting dead 41-year-old veteran Vitaly Hodniuk. Ukrainian soldier who surrendered When his dugout was captured by the Russian army in January 2024.
Kurashov told Reuters he did not plan to appeal the verdict after being sentenced in a court in the city of Zaporizhia.
“This is one of the most serious crimes; this is an important case for Ukraine, because such cases should not be left without consideration and appropriate punishment,” Mykita Manevsky, the chief prosecutor in the case, said after the verdict was issued.
Kurashov was taken prisoner by Ukrainian forces along with other Russian soldiers soon after Hodnyuk’s assassination. He admitted the charges in court, but later told reporters he was innocent and expected to be released in a prisoner exchange.
According to officials, he lost his left eye after he joined the Army’s Storm V assault units during fighting in Ukraine in exchange for early release from prison on theft charges.
The Russian soldier refused to issue any final words to the court at the end of his trial and refused to answer reporters’ questions, only smiling slightly when asked if he hoped he would be released in a prisoner exchange. His lawyer was not present during the sentencing but earlier told the court that a custodial sentence of 10 years would be sufficient.
“It’s not too much for this kind of crime,” Mr. Manevsky, who had asked for a life sentence, said after the verdict.
The case holds symbolic importance for the country, as the suspects are usually accused of killing Ukrainian soldiers outside its jurisdiction.
A criminal investigation is underway into the alleged murder of 322 Ukrainian soldiers who had laid down their arms and/or surrendered unconditionally. Russia Invaded the country in February 2022, according to the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office.
The UN human rights monitoring mission said in February that there had been an “alarming increase” in the number of executions of Ukrainian soldiers captured by Russia.
This is illegal under international humanitarian law. prisoner of war and wounded, and such actions are considered war crimes.
A 2024 UN report found that 95 percent of released Ukrainian POWs had endured “systematic” torture, with prisoners describing beatings, electric shocks, suffocation, sexual violence, prolonged stress conditions, mock executions, and sleep deprivation.
Russia has denied that its troops have committed war crimes.