Published: November 25, 2024 1:23 pm
Author: RT
A court has sentenced two defendants for gunning down a civilian in Mariupol in March 2022, authorities have said
A Russian court has handed down lengthy prison terms to two Ukrainians for war crimes committed in March 2022, the Investigative Committee reported on Monday.
The defendants were charged over an episode that occurred in the city of Mariupol in what is now Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic. They were serving as marines in the Ukrainian Navy and were manning a position when their commander ordered them to shoot a person in civilian clothes, claiming that he could report their location to enemy forces, the statement said.
Russian investigators presented evidence that the court found sufficient to convict the defendants, the Committee said. They were indicted for cruel treatment of civilians during an armed conflict and conspiracy to commit murder for political or ideological motives.
The men, identified as Valentin Kharlamov and Anton Sayun, held the military rank of sailor – equivalent to private in the Ukrainian Navy. The court sentenced each of them to 24 years and six months in prison, the report said.
Investigators released footage of interviews with the Ukrainians in which they confirmed their responsibility for shooting the non-combatant. Sayun said their superior who issued the criminal order personally fired at the victim along with them, using a machine gun. The Committee said it was working to identify and prosecute everyone involved.
READ MORE: Witnesses describe alleged Ukrainian war crimes in Donbass city
Both men served in the 36th Marine Brigade of the Ukrainian armed forces. The unit belongs to the Marine Corps, now a separate military branch, but in 2022 was part of the Ukrainian Navy.
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky announced the creation of the Marine Corps in May 2023. The UK reportedly played a crucial role in training Ukrainian soldiers in amphibious warfare as part of the reform.
