Russian commander sentenced to 12 years for torturing civilians in Chernihiv region
The Chernihiv District Court sentenced Russian Armed Forces serviceman Nikita Zheludkov, who in March 2022, while in the Chernihiv region, kidnapped and illegally detained two civilians in a basement.
This was reported by the project "Books of the Executioners of the Ukrainian People," according to Censor.NET.
The occupier was found guilty of cruel treatment of civilians and violation of the laws of war and was sentenced in absentia to 12 years' imprisonment.
What is known about the war criminal
According to the project, Zheludkov was born in the Orenburg region of Russia. At the time of the crime, he held the rank of senior lieutenant and served as commander of the reconnaissance company of the 35th separate motorized rifle brigade of the 41st combined arms army of the Central Military District of the Russian Armed Forces.
According to the Defence Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, in March 2022, Zheludkov's unit was stationed in the occupied territory of the Chernihiv region as part of a battalion tactical group.
Criminal activity
The court found that on March 17, 2022, Russian military personnel detained two men from the village of Khalyavin who were walking to Chernihiv to buy food for their families. Both were unarmed, dressed in civilian clothes, and had no connection to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
On Zheludkov's orders, Russian soldiers searched the men and then ordered them to get into the AFV. The victims remembered the commander as a young man aged 25-27 with a service pistol who gave orders.
After that, the occupiers took the kidnapped men to the village of Polubotky, where their entire unit—about 20 people—was stationed on Lisova Street. There, on Zheludkov's orders, the men's cell phones and money they had brought with them to buy food—$800 and 10,000 hryvnia—were taken away. During the search, the invaders threatened to shoot them, and forced one of the men to strip down to his T-shirt, even though it was freezing outside.
Subsequently, on Zheludkov's orders, the victims' hands were tied, their eyes were blindfolded, and they were thrown into the basement of a private house on Lisova Street, where they spent three days until March 20.
"The low ceiling in the basement prevented them from standing up straight, the temperature was below zero, and their hands remained tied even at night. The men were not allowed to use the toilet and were given only a little water and canned food once during their entire stay," the report said.
On March 20, the occupiers took both of them out of the basement and drove them to the village of Terekhivka for "interrogation," during which one of the victims was shot in the leg and head and threatened with execution.
The next day, all the detainees were blindfolded, taken to a field, and ordered to lie down on the ground, under threat of being shot.
When the occupiers left, the victims were able to free themselves and reach Chernihiv.
Sentence for the occupier
The investigation identified Zheludkov several months after the events. Both victims independently identified him from photographs during investigative proceedings in March 2025.
Information about Zheludkov's involvement in crimes was confirmed by the Defence Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, which provided data on his military service and presence in the area of the villages of Khalyavin and Polubotki in March 2022.
The court found Nikita Zheludkov guilty under Part 2 of Article 28 and Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (cruel treatment of civilians and violation of the laws and customs of war, committed by a group of persons acting in concert). He was sentenced in absentia to 12 years' imprisonment.
The term of imprisonment shall be counted from the date of actual detention.
