Court to announce verdict for Tornado Company fighters tomorrow

April 7 at 10 a.m., Obolonskyi district court of Kyiv will start announcing its verdict in the case of former fighters of disbanded Tornado Special Purpose Company.

Cchief judge Vladyslav Deviatko and his colleagues took to the jury room on February 9, 2017, Censor.NET correspondent reports.

The prosecution is asking for the maximum penalty for company commander Ruslan Onyshchenko, his deputy Mykola Tsukur and fighter Danylo Liashuk in the form of a 15-year imprisonment. Fighters Illia Kholod, Anatolii Plomadiala and Maksym Hliebov are facing 12 years in prison, Mykyta Kust - 11, Borys Hulchuk - 10, Roman Ivashov, Andrii Demchuk and Mykyta Svyrydivskyi - eight years each if the prosecution's motion is granted. Yurii Shevchenko, who has partially admitted his guilt, may be given a three-year probation.

Tornado Special Forces Company was earlier a part of the Interior Ministry of Ukraine. Eight Tornado soldiers, including its commander Ruslan Onyshchenko, were detained on charges of local residents' abduction, holding them in captivity, torture, murder, rape, and a number of other serious crimes in June 2015. Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Arsen Avakov signed the order to disband Tornado Company on July 18, 2015. The unit has been finally undone, while its commander Ruslan Onyshchenko and several soldiers are being tried.