The Central District Prosecutorʼs Office of Dnipro has started a pre-trial investigation into the death in Russian captivity of "Azov" Oleksandr Ishchenko.
This was reported by the press service of the Prosecutor Generalʼs Office.
The prosecutorʼs office opened proceedings on the fact of violation of the laws and customs of war, combined with intentional murder (Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
Law enforcement officers are investigating the circumstances of the death of a defender of the "Azov" regiment as a result of injuries received in captivity.
The agency reminded that the killing of prisoners of war is a gross violation of the Geneva Conventions and qualifies as a grave international crime.
"The information we have in the criminal proceedings clearly indicates that the Russian commanders not only do not prevent the ill-treatment of prisoners, but also encourage such crimes and directly issue relevant criminal orders," said Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin.
In total, the murder of 64 Ukrainian prisoners of war by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation is currently being investigated. More than 2,200 prisoners of war have been recognized as victims of torture.
What preceded
Oleksandr Ishchenko was a sailor. He returned from the flight a few days before the full-scale invasion and later joined the Azov Regiment, where he became a driver.
It is not known when the man was captured, but it was definitely during active hostilities in Mariupol. The family learned that he was in captivity from the photo, but they were not allowed to talk to him. He spent a year in the Donetsk SIZO, and later ended up in Rostov.
Ishchenkoʼs death became known on August 31 — he did not appear at a Russian court session. Later, the soldierʼs daughter reported that he died 9 days before.
"Azovets" was involved in the case together with 23 other Ukrainians (two of them — Davyd Kasatkin and Dmytro Labinskyi — were later exchanged). Russia accuses them of involvement in a "terrorist organization" and an "attempt to seize power" in the occupied part of the Donetsk region.
Most of them were captured or detained in the spring of 2022 in Mariupol. At different times, the prisoners were associated with the "Azov" regiment, but some of them had already resigned from the service or held civilian positions in the regiment at the time of their capture. For example, among the prisoners there are 9 women who worked as cooks or in the supply department.