In Lviv, the high-profile case involving the rape of a schoolgirl will be reopened
The Lviv Court of Appeals is set to begin a retrial of the high-profile case involving the rape of a 14-year-old girl in Zakarpattia. Five years have passed since the crime was committed, and the case is once again being heard by the appellate court.
“In 2021, she was 14. Today, she is an adult woman, yet there is still no final decision in her case. For the fifth year in a row, her life has been defined by court hearings: two verdicts, three rounds of appeals, the Supreme Court, and the defendants’ attempt to evade their sentence by enlisting in the army. In the last two years alone, this case has cost our team over 1,100 hours of work. For her, it has cost five years of her life,” the lawyers noted.
The lawyers emphasized that international standards for the protection of children require the state to protect victims from re-traumatization and to hear such cases within a reasonable timeframe.
They stated that they will continue to fight for justice for the victim: “Our goal is for this cycle to be the last. Because justice should not be a privilege. And it should not take five years.”
In 2023, the Volovets District Court in Zakarpattia Oblast found that three teenagers had committed gang rape against a minor girl. They filmed the assault on a phone and distributed the video among students at the school.
The crime itself took place back in August 2021. The victim explained that she was on friendly terms with the boys and had gone to the basement—where they had called her—of her own free will. She did not tell anyone about the incident, feeling fear and shame.
The court found the boys—two 15-year-old twin brothers and their 14-year-old friend—guilty under Part 3 of Article 153 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and sentenced them to five years in prison. However, due to mitigating circumstances, the court effectively exempted the teenagers from serving their sentences.
After this verdict, the case gained widespread attention, and Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets stated that he had taken it under his personal supervision. The High Council of Justice announced that it would investigate complaints against the judge who had imposed a suspended sentence on the teenagers.
Since then, the appellate court has overturned the lenient sentence and remanded the case for a new trial. But in October 2024, one day before the final court arguments, two of the defendants submitted documents to be drafted into the military. This would have halted the proceedings indefinitely. Following public outcry, the Ministry of Defense officially denied their requests.
In February 2025, a new sentence was handed down—six years in prison for each defendant. An appeal was filed against the decision, which the court denied. However, in April 2026, the Supreme Court overturned the appellate court’s decision and ordered another appeal hearing.
The lawyers emphasize that the Supreme Court did not acquit anyone and did not overturn the six-year sentence; the defendants remain in custody. The objection is purely procedural: the appellate court did not respond in sufficient detail to certain arguments raised by the defense. As a result, the appellate proceedings will have to be repeated.
This was reported by the law firm “Miller,” which represents the victim’s interests.
A man was detained in Kyiv for attempting to rape a woman.
Earlier, the Security Service of Ukraine prevented another terrorist attack in Kharkiv by detaining a married couple of Russian agents who were planning an explosion in the city center.
As a reminder, the SBU detained a Russian strike coordinator targeting Chernivtsi.
The SBU also exposed a Russian spy network that was planning terrorist attacks using teenagers.
