11 Russian servicemen sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment for shooting six civilians in the Kyiv region

11 Russian servicemen sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment for shooting six civilians in the Kyiv region

Eleven Russian servicemen were sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment for the murder of six unarmed civilians during the occupation of Kyiv region. The people were shot in two cars near "Dobropark" and in the village of Motyzhyn in the first days of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

This is reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General.

According to the Office of the Prosecutor General, the court found the Russian servicemen guilty of a war crime combined with intentional murder.

Prosecutors proved that on February 27, 2022, near "Dobropark", Russian servicemen opened aimed fire at an Opel Zafira car, in which three unarmed men were traveling. All of them were killed.

On March 3, in Motyzhyn, Russian servicemen fired at a Peugeot 206 car with three civilians. The driver saw the invaders’ combat equipment and stopped, but the Russian military opened fire without warning. All three people were killed.

The prosecutor’s office emphasized that none of the six civilians participated in hostilities and did not pose a threat to the Russian servicemen.

The court agreed with the arguments of the prosecution and recognized the actions of the convicted as a gross violation of the norms of international humanitarian law.

Their actions were qualified under Part 1 of Art. 28, Part 2 of Art. 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

The special pre-trial investigation was conducted by investigators of the Main Directorate of the SBU in Kyiv and Kyiv region.