War in Ukraine: three Ukrainian soldiers sentenced by pro-Russian separatists

Pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine have sentenced three Ukrainian soldiers to heavy prison terms, accusing them of committing "

", the Russian Investigative Committee announced on Friday March 10.

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Captured during the Russian offensive in Ukraine, Viktor Pokhozei, Maxim Boutkevitch and Vladislav Chel were found guilty of "

" and "

", indicated in a press release this body in charge of the main investigations in Russia.

Sentences handed down by the “supreme courts” of the separatist regions

Maxime Boutkevitch and Vladislav Chel, also convicted of attempted murder on several people, were sentenced to 13 and 18 and a half years respectively.

Viktor Pokhozei was sentenced to 8 and a half years in prison.

These sentences were handed down by the "

" of the pro-Russian separatist regions of Donetsk and Lugansk, controlled by Moscow, which last year demanded its annexation, which was not recognized by the international community.

Ukrainian human rights activist and founder of the independent radio station Hromadske Radio, Maxime Boutkevitch joined the Ukrainian army in March 2022, shortly after the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine.

Russian investigators accused him of injuring two civilians after firing an anti-tank grenade launcher at a residential building in Severodonetsk, a city captured by the Russian army last June in the Lugansk region.

For his part, Viktor Pokhozeï, one of the commanders of the Azov regiment, notably made up of Ukrainian nationalists and who distinguished himself in the defense of the city of Mariupol, conquered by the Russians after a devastating siege of several months, was accused of hitting a civilian with his rifle.

Also a fighter from the Azov regiment, Vladislav Chel was accused of having opened fire on a civilian "

" in a residential building in Mariupol.