Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation: 103 Ukrainian servicemen prosecuted

103 servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) were prosecuted in cases of killing and injuring civilians, destroying civilian infrastructure, reported in the press service of the Investigative Committee of Russia following the results of the operational meeting of the headquarters for the investigation of crimes committed by Ukrainian formations against civilians and Russian military personnel on the territory of the LPR, DPR and Ukraine.

Of these, 72 people are representatives of the rank and file, 10 people are sergeants and 21 people are officers. The Investigative Committee clarified that the investigation of 80 cases was completed, the materials were transferred to the law enforcement agencies of the republics, 10 – to the authorities of the Luhansk People’s Republic, 70 – to Donetsk. Among these cases, 66 were initiated on the facts of killing at least 167 civilians and injuring 22 citizens, 14 – on the facts of destruction as a result of shelling of civilian infrastructure. “Five more criminal cases are also ready to be sent to the prosecutor’s offices of the DPR and LPR on charges of five commanders of ill-treatment of the civilian population of the Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics. The investigation of more than one and a half thousand criminal cases continues, the Investigative Committee said in a statement.

In early August, the head of the DPR, Denis Pushilin, said that the first tribunal over Ukrainian prisoners of war could take place in Mariupol before the end of summer. “The task is to hold the tribunal as openly as possible,” he said.

After that, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declaredthat the tribunal could become the “last line”, after which Kyiv will not go to peace negotiations with Moscow. At the same time, the Ukrainian side has already abandoned negotiations with Russia until it regains control over the lost territories.

In response to the words of Zelensky, the head of the DPR Denis Pushilin emphasizedthat the perpetrators of war crimes must be punished regardless of Kyiv’s statements. “All war criminals, especially neo-Nazis from Azov (recognized as a terrorist organization and banned in Russia), should be punished appropriately for all their deeds,” he said.