Two Azov fighters "sentenced" in Russia to more than 20 years in prison for "killing civilians" in Mariupol
A Russian court has "sentenced" two Ukrainian servicemen of the 12th Azov Special Forces Brigade to 24 and 26 years in prison on charges of "killing civilians" of the self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic".
This was reported by the press service of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, Censor.NET reports.
Thus, Ruslan Orlov and Artem Novikov, who are called the military of the Azov brigade in the Russian Federation, were "found guilty" under two articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:
- cruel treatment of civilians, the use of means and methods prohibited by an international treaty of the Russian Federation in an armed conflict;
- the murder of two or more people committed by an organized group for reasons of political or ideological hatred.
Russia's Investigative Committee claims that in April 2022, Orlov and Novikov allegedly found three men in Mariupol who "did not participate in the armed conflict."
Believing that these men had a pro-Russian position, they allegedly fired "numerous shots" with firearms. Thus, three men were allegedly fatally wounded.
A Russian court sentenced Orlov to 26 years in a strict regime colony, and Novikov to 24 years.
