Judges in Moscow have charged a captured Ukrainian Armed Forces officer
Ukrainian authorities have charged a Russian judge who sentenced a Ukrainian prisoner of war to 14 years in prison for alleged “terrorism.”
According to the investigation, on April 20, the Main Investigation Department of the National Police of Ukraine announced charges against Moscow judge Dmitry Ivanov. At the time of the alleged crime, he was working at the 2nd Western District Military Court of the Russian Federation.
The case involves a Ukrainian military officer—a second lieutenant in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and commander of an assault unit of the 92nd Separate Assault Brigade named after Ivan Sirko. He was taken prisoner on December 23, 2024, during combat operations in the Kursk region.
Under the Geneva Convention, a servicemember automatically acquires the status of a prisoner of war and cannot be prosecuted for participating in combat operations. Despite this, Russian law enforcement opened criminal proceedings against him under the “terrorism” article.
In August 2025, the case was transferred to a military court, where it was heard by Ivanov. As early as September 24, he handed down a verdict, finding the Ukrainian officer guilty and sentencing him to 14 years in prison. In March 2026, the Russian Federation’s Court of Appeals upheld this decision.
Ukrainian law enforcement officials classified the judge’s actions under Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine—violation of the laws and customs of war. He is charged with intentionally depriving a prisoner of war of the right to a fair trial.
Additionally, the SBU detained a Russian agent who guided airstrikes on Sloviansk.
As a reminder, the SBU has referred the case of Andriy Parubiy’s murder to court.
