Russia sentences two Ukrainian soldiers for alleged killing of civilians in Mariupol

Russia has sentenced two Ukrainian soldiers, Ruslan Orlov and Artem Novikov, known as the Azov regiment fighters, to prison for allegedly killing civilians in Mariupol.

This was reported by the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation.

They claim that the court and investigation allegedly found that the military in April 2022 “killed three men with a pro-Russian position” in Mariupol “in execution of an illegal order of the high command.”

Ruslan Orlov, who is referred to as a sniper, was sentenced to 26 years in prison, and Artem Novikov, who is referred to as a medical orderly, was sentenced to 24 years in a maximum-security penal colony.

This is not the first time that the Russians have illegally tried Ukrainian military personnel. For example, on February 7, 2024, the so-called “Supreme Court” of the “DNR” group in occupied Donetsk sentenced 33 Ukrainian military personnel from the 36th Marine Brigade of the Ukrainian Navy and the 17th Tank Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to imprisonment in a maximum-security colony. The Ukrainians were given terms ranging from 27 to 29 years.

They were found “guilty” of ill-treatment of civilians, murder, attempted murder, and intentional damage to property. The military allegedly shelled residential buildings in the settlements of Sartana, Sakhanka, Talakivka, Stary Krym, Zaichenko, and Dzerzhynske in Donetsk region. The Investigative Committee of Russia has named some of the convicted.

After that, the Ombudsman of Ukraine appealed to the UN and the Red Cross Society.

In December 2024, the Russians in the temporarily occupied territory of Donetsk region sentenced the soldiers of the 36th separate marine brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who were defending Mariupol at the beginning of the full-scale invasion.