Occupiers hand down verdict against couple from Melitopol: Ukrainians sentenced to 20 and 18 years
The Russian Southern District Military Court has sentenced Ukrainian citizens Hennadii and Olha Kapralov, a married couple from occupied Melitopol. Hennadii was sentenced to 20 years in prison and Olha to 18 years. The couple had previously reported being tortured after they were abducted by Russian security forces.
As reported by Censor.NET, this was reported by Mediazona.
Sixty-one-year-old Hennadii Kapralov was sentenced to 20 years in a strict-regime penal colony, with the first five years to be served in prison, and fined 700,000 rubles. His 53-year-old wife Olha was sentenced to 18 years in a general-regime penal colony and fined 600,000 rubles.
According to Mediazona, the Russian prosecutor had sought a 22-year prison sentence for Kapralov and 21 years for his wife.
Ukrainians accused of preparing terrorist attacks
Russian security forces accused the couple of preparing a terrorist attack, participating in a terrorist community, and the illegal trafficking of explosives, narcotics and chemical weapons.
According to Russian investigators, the Kapralovs allegedly belonged to an underground group that was preparing terrorist attacks in occupied Melitopol in 2023 on the instructions of Ukrainian special services.
Among other claims, the Russian side said that methadone, methyl alcohol and the chemical warfare agent BZ could have been used to prepare the attacks.
During closing arguments, the drug-trafficking charge was dropped because the statute of limitations had expired.
Russian security forces claim that Hennadii Kapralov and his acquaintance Diliaver Kurshutov allegedly retrieved explosives and toxic substances from a cache. Investigators allege that Olha Kapralova was to hide plastic explosive in a toy horse.
At the same time, the defence pointed to inconsistencies in the evidence presented by Russian investigators.
Couple abducted in occupied Melitopol
Hennadii and Olha Kapralov were abducted on a street in occupied Melitopol on 21 August 2023. Until November of that year, they were held in a secret prison set up, according to Mediazona, in the building of a former hospital or clinic near the Hydromash plant.
During the trial, the Kapralovs described torture and ill-treatment following their abduction.
In particular, Hennadii Kapralov described being tortured in his testimony. He signed his first statement on 24 November 2023.
Other defendants in the case
Russia has also placed 47-year-old Oleksandr Kohut on its wanted list. Russian security forces assign him the alleged role of organiser of the terrorist community.
The case against Diliaver Kurshutov was separated into separate proceedings. In September 2025, the Russian Southern District Military Court sentenced him to 10 years in prison.
At the same time, lawyer Oksana Olherdt stressed during closing arguments that an examination of the explosives hidden in the toy found traces of Kurshutov but did not establish that Hennadii Kapralov had come into contact with them.
Thus, the Russian court sentenced two Ukrainian citizens who lived in occupied Melitopol on charges brought by Russian security forces. The couple had previously reported abduction and torture while in Russian captivity.
