A military court in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, has sentenced two Ukrainian prisoners of war to 18 years in a high-security penal colony. Additionally, a third individual received an extended sentence of 29 years.
The sentences were announced by the prosecutor’s office in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR). Vitaliy Slobodenyuk, a 25-year-old artillery spotter, and 24-year-old Bohdan Holovanov, a driver for a howitzer division, were both convicted of involvement in a terrorist organization and training for terrorism.
According to Russian authorities, the two men allegedly joined the Azov regiment in 2021, underwent military training, and were captured by Russian forces in 2022.
Furthermore, the prosecutor’s office reported an increase in the sentence of another Azov member, 30-year-old Ruslan Kolodyazhny. Initially sentenced to 26 years in 2023 for the alleged murder of two civilians in Mariupol, his term has now been raised to 29 years under terrorism-related charges due to his connections with Azov.
A Russian military court has handed down lengthy sentences to three Ukrainian soldiers, with two receiving 18 years and one facing an extended term of 29 years. These rulings are part of ongoing legal actions against individuals accused of ties to the Azov regiment.