Russia "sentences" 15 captured Aidar fighters: they received sentences of 15–21 years in high-security colony
The Southern District "military court" in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, has "sentenced" 15 Ukrainian prisoners of war from the Aidar battalion. The Ukrainians received prison terms ranging from 15 to 21 years in a high-security penal colony.
The ruling was reported by the Russian outlet Mediazona and cited by Current Time, according to Censor.NET.
In total, 18 Ukrainians were involved in the case. Two medics — Liliia Prutian and Maryna Mishchenko — were previously returned to Ukraine as part of a prisoner exchange, while the case of driver Yevhen Piatyhorets was separated into a standalone proceeding. His current fate remains unknown.
All 15 prisoners of war were "convicted" solely for serving in the Aidar battalion — no war crimes were imputed to them. The Russian court deemed the very fact of serving in the Ukrainian army to be a criminal act.
засудили" за "участь у терористичній організації, насильницькому захопленні влади та проходженні навчання в терористичних цілях". Їм "присудили" від 15 до 21 року колонії суворого режиму:
The Ukrainian POWs were "convicted" on charges of "participation in a terrorist organization, violent seizure of power, and training for terrorist purposes." They "received sentences" ranging from 15 to 21 years in a high-security colony:
- Dmytro Fedchenko — 15 years;
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Andrii Sholik, Vitalii Krokhalev, and Viacheslav Baidiuk — 16 years;
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Volodymyr Makarenko and Ihor Haiokha — 18 years;
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Mykola Chupryna, Taras Radchenko, Semen Zabaïrachnyi, Serhii Nikitiuk, Oleksandr Taranets, and Vladyslav Yermolinskyi — 20 years;
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Vitalii Hruzinov, Roman Nedostup, and Serhii Kalinchenko — 21 years.
Even medics were prosecuted, with the court arguing that providing medical aid to wounded soldiers "sustained the unit’s combat capability."
During the hearings, the prisoners described torture they had suffered while in captivity. When it was time for the defense to present its arguments, the court was closed to observers and the press, citing the "high public resonance" of the case and "security concerns for the participants."
