Ukraine jails Russian soldier for life for killing POW in first such ruling
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Russian soldier Dmitry Kurashov shot dead a Ukrainian soldier who had surrendered in January 2024 when his dugout was captured by Russian forces.
PHOTO: SSU.GOV.UA
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- A Russian soldier, Dmitry Kurashov, was sentenced to life in prison by a Ukrainian court for killing a Ukrainian prisoner of war, Vitalii Hodniuk.
- Kurashov, a member of Russia's "Storm V" unit, pleaded guilty but later claimed innocence, hoping for a prisoner exchange.
- This sentencing is symbolic for Ukraine, which is investigating 322 cases of murdered Ukrainian servicemen and accuses Russia of war crimes.
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ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine – A Ukrainian court sentenced a Russian soldier on Nov 6 to life in prison after finding him guilty of killing a Ukrainian prisoner of war, the first time Ukraine has jailed a suspect on such charges since Russia’s invasion.
The court in the south-eastern city of Zaporizhzhia found Dmitry Kurashov, 27, guilty of shooting dead Vitalii Hodniuk, a Ukrainian soldier who had surrendered in January 2024 when his dugout was captured by Russian forces.
Kurashov, who was taken prisoner by Ukrainian forces along with other Russian troops soon after the incident, pleaded guilty in court, although he later told reporters that he was innocent and wanted to be exchanged in a prisoner swop.
His sentencing carries symbolic importance for Ukraine, which says Russian forces have executed numerous Ukrainian prisoners of war, but that the suspects are usually outside their jurisdiction.
Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, denies its troops carry out war crimes.
Ukraine’s Prosecutor-General’s Office told Reuters that criminal investigations were under way into the murder of 322 Ukrainian servicemen who had unconditionally laid down their arms and/or surrendered since the 2022 invasion.
Kurashov, who lost his left eye while fighting in Ukraine, joined one of the Russian military’s “Storm V” assault units in exchange for early release from prison, where he was serving a jail sentence for theft, according to Ukrainian authorities.
At the end of his trial, he chose not to say anything for his “last words” to the court.
Before the verdict was read, he stood subdued with his arms crossed in front of him. He declined to answer questions from reporters, but smiled slightly when asked if he hoped to be released in a prisoner swop.
The prosecution asked the court to hand down a life sentence. REUTERS
