More than two dozen captured Ukrainians face long sentences in Russian prisons as they are convicted in ‘sham’ court trials which rights organisations have branded a violation of laws
Russia has convicted 23 captured Ukrainians and jailed them for between 13 and 23 years in prison on “sham” terror charges, despite ongoing negotiations over a ceasefire. Kyiv has denounced their trumped up charges as bogus and a violation of international law – and rights groups say they are all ‘political prisoners.’
The defendants included 14 current or former fighters of the elite Azov brigade, which Russia designated a terrorist group. There are also nine women and one man who worked as cooks or support personnel, according to Russian media reports and rights activists. Their jail sentences are being appealed against by Kyiv authorities.
Twelve defendants were not in court, 11 had returned to Ukraine in two prisoner exchanges and were convicted in absentia. One more died in custody. All had been charged with staging a violent coup d’etat and organising the activities of a terrorist organisation.
Some faced an additional charge of training to carry out terrorist activities. They were given sentences ranging from 13 to 23 years in prison. Memorial, a prominent Russian rights group that won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022, has designated all the defendants as political prisoners.
According to Memorial, some of them were captured in 2022 during fighting in the port city of Mariupol, where they held out at the Azovstal steel mill, besieged by Russian troops. Others were detained as they tried to leave the city after it was overrun by Russian forces, the group said.
Ukraine’s human rights envoy, Dmytro Lubinets, denounced the proceedings when they began in June 2023 as “another sham trial” held for Russia’s “own amusement.” Mr Lubinets said: “’Russia’ and fair justice have nothing in common.
“The world must respond to such shameful sham trials of Ukrainian defenders. It is obvious to everyone that those who should be in the dock are not those defending themselves but those who initiated the aggression, those who invaded foreign land with weapons, and those who arrived with tanks on the territory of an independent state!”
That same month, Ukraine’s presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said the trial amounted to “an official war crime” that warrants a response from the International Criminal Court. Petro Yatsenko, a representative of the Ukrainian Coordination Centre for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, echoed his sentiment in remarks quoted by the Hromadske news outlet. He said the proceedings violated the Geneva Conventions on the treatment of prisoners of war. The trial was held in a military court in Rostov-on-Don, where Russia’s Southern Military District is headquartered, about 60 miles east of the border with Ukraine.
After weeks of high-level talks punctuated by frequent stops and starts, Russia and Ukraine have given the strongest signal yet they are willing to lay down arms – even if only in part. The White House says it has brokered an agreement between the two countries to halt military activity over the Black Sea after its officials met separately with counterparts from Moscow and Kyiv in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh.
The new agreement is fraught with complications, including Russia’s list of conditions. The Kremlin said it won’t commit until sanctions are lifted and membership to the Swift payment network is reinstated, demands Trump says he is considering. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of lying about the terms of the agreement.
There are other worries about how durable the deal could be. Russia has broken agreements in the past, and the White House has given little indication it’s negotiating in Ukraine’s interest alone. Ukraine says the movement of Russian warships westward will be treated as a violation of terms. Even so, Zelensky is showing cautious optimism, telling reporters the deal represents “the right steps” towards peace.
Western leaders are nervous, however, since it is widely believed the Kremlin cannot be trusted since they have habitually broken previous agreements. There are fears they would try to score against Ukraine by launching false flag attacks to justify an assault on Kyiv’s troops.
