The Book of the Executioners of the Ukrainian People identifies the Russian military judges who sentenced Ukrainians
The project “The Book of Executioners of the Ukrainian People” has released information on 49 judges from two Russian military courts who handed down convictions against Ukrainian citizens, including prisoners of war. According to the study, judges from the Southern and 2nd Western District Military Courts of the Russian Federation have convicted hundreds of Ukrainians, and at least 150 cases remain pending before them.
The materials collected by the project indicate the systematic fabrication of criminal cases, the perfunctory nature of the trials, and the use of terrorism charges to persecute Ukrainian citizens.
This involves 26 judges of the Southern District Military Court of the Russian Federation and 23 judges of the 2nd Western District Military Court of the Russian Federation.
According to the study, judges of the Southern District Military Court have handed down at least 128 convictions against Ukrainian citizens since August 2022. Judges of the 2nd Western District Military Court have convicted 224 Ukrainians using a similar pattern.
At the time the study was prepared, at least 150 cases remained pending before these judges. According to the project’s authors, this indicates that the practice of criminal prosecution of Ukrainians in Russian military courts continues.
According to the project’s data, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don has handed down guilty verdicts in 436 cases against Ukrainian citizens since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Other Russian military courts are also hearing similar cases, albeit on a smaller scale.
Most often, Ukrainians are charged under Article 205.3 of the Russian Criminal Code—“undergoing training for the purpose of terrorist activity”—and Article 205.4—“participation in a terrorist organization.”
The vast majority of Ukrainian defenders of “Azovstal” were tried under these articles. Typical sentences, as indicated in the study’s materials, are 13 or 18 years of imprisonment. In some cases, Russian courts impose life imprisonment.
The study’s authors believe that terrorism charges have become one of the key tools for persecuting Ukrainian military personnel who have been taken prisoner by Russia.
The project’s materials include testimonies from Ukrainian soldiers released from captivity. They describe the preparation of criminal cases as a process accompanied by hours-long interrogations and systematic torture.
According to the collected testimonies, prisoners were subjected to electric shocks, beatings, mock executions, sexual violence, and other forms of physical and psychological pressure.
According to estimates by former captives, only about 30% of instances of force were directly aimed at extracting specific “confessions.” In other cases, they testified that violence was used to intimidate them and exert psychological pressure prior to interrogations by investigators.
Separately, the study describes the practice of transferring detainees who were tried in the Southern District Military Court. After the main stage of case preparation, they were transferred to Pretrial Detention Center No. 1 in Rostov-on-Don, where conditions were less harsh. According to the project’s findings, this made it possible to conceal signs of torture before the prisoners appeared in court.
An analysis of the verdicts also indicates the perfunctory nature of the trials. According to the study, hearings were often limited to two segments, each lasting approximately 30 minutes: the reading of the charges and the pronouncement of the verdict.
The study’s authors note that there was no thorough examination of evidence, questioning of witnesses, or provision of a genuine defense in such trials.
“The Book of the Executioners of the Ukrainian People” has published the personal data of the judges and information on the number of Ukrainian citizens against whom they handed down guilty verdicts. The information is based on verified identification data and an analysis of criminal case files.
According to the project, the list of judges from this court includes:
- Vitaliy Volodymyrovych Bakin—convictions against 8 Ukrainian citizens.
- Oleg Oleksandrovych Belousov—convictions against 8 Ukrainian citizens.
- Eduard Borisovich Borisov—convictions against 2 Ukrainian citizens.
- Serhiy Volodymyrovych Brovko — against 6 Ukrainian citizens.
- Roman Viktorovich Vladimirov — against 11 Ukrainian citizens.
- Igor Vladimirovich Drugachenko — against 11 Ukrainian citizens.
- Timur Georgievich Zhidkov — regarding 15 Ukrainian citizens.
- Yevgeniy Vasilyevich Zubov — regarding 12 Ukrainian citizens.
- Dmytro Yuriyovych Ivanov — regarding 7 Ukrainian citizens.
- Anton Ihorovych Kakadaev — regarding 15 Ukrainian citizens.
- Roman Ivanovich Kiforenko — regarding 11 Ukrainian citizens.
- Alexander Mikhailovich Kondratyev — regarding 10 Ukrainian citizens.
- Vadym Volodymyrovych Krasnov — regarding 3 Ukrainian citizens.
- Sergey Petrovich Kryvosheev — regarding 12 Ukrainian citizens.
- Yuriy Oleksandrovych Massin — regarding 17 Ukrainian citizens.
- Andriy Oleksandrovych Morozov — regarding 17 Ukrainian citizens.
- Oleksandr Germanovich Nassukha — regarding 1 Ukrainian citizen.
- Igor Vladimirovich Nikitchuk — regarding 15 Ukrainian citizens.
- Andriy Viktorovich Pluzhnikov — regarding 7 Ukrainian citizens.
- Konstantin Mykolayovych Repeta — regarding 3 Ukrainian citizens.
- Vasyl Oleksiyovych Sai — regarding 4 Ukrainian citizens.
- Igor Vasilyevich Semin — regarding 10 Ukrainian citizens.
- Albert Viktorovich Trishkin — regarding 19 Ukrainian citizens.
The project included the following judges from this court in its list:
- Ilya Mykolayovych Bezgub — convictions against 11 Ukrainian citizens.
- Vasylchuk Mykola Yuriyovych — concerning 1 Ukrainian citizen.
- Denis Vitaliyovych Vovchenko — involving 3 Ukrainian citizens.
- Oleg Valeriyovych Volkov — hearing 1 case.
- Denis Oleksandrovych Galkin — against 11 Ukrainian citizens.
- Oleksandr Vasylovych Generalov — against 4 Ukrainian citizens.
- Serhiy Mykhailovych Gorelov — regarding 2 Ukrainian citizens.
- Pavel Yuriyovych Gubarev — regarding 12 Ukrainian citizens.
- Gurgen Serzhikovich Dovlatbekyan — regarding 4 Ukrainian citizens.
- Arslan Ivanovich Zhaginov — regarding 3 Ukrainian citizens.
- Igor Vladimirovich Kostin — regarding 4 Ukrainian citizens.
- Kirill Nikolayevich Krivtsov — regarding 12 Ukrainian citizens.
- Sakit Eskerkhanovich Lachinov — regarding 3 Ukrainian citizens.
- Magomadov, Oleksiy Abdulmazhitovich — is hearing 1 case.
- Vitaliy Viktorovich Mamedov — regarding 3 Ukrainian citizens.
- Timur Khabasovich Mashukov — regarding 8 Ukrainian citizens.
- Andriy Mykolayovych Minashkin — regarding 8 Ukrainian citizens.
- Maksym Mykhailovych Nikitin — regarding 2 Ukrainian citizens.
- Sergey Vyacheslavovich Obraztsov — regarding 4 Ukrainian citizens.
- Valery Sergeyevich Opanasenko — regarding 4 Ukrainian citizens.
- Konstantin Igorevich Prostov — regarding 7 Ukrainian citizens.
- Roman Viktorovich Saprunov — regarding 2 Ukrainian citizens.
- Denis Vasilyevich Stepanov — regarding 5 Ukrainian citizens.
- Oleg Dmitrievich Terentyev — regarding 3 Ukrainian citizens.
- Oleg Oleksandrovych Cherepov — regarding 7 Ukrainian citizens.
- Artem Oleksandrovych Shalaev — regarding 5 Ukrainian citizens.
The project materials also note that the data regarding some of the judges is being verified.
The publication of the judges’ names, details of their rulings, and the circumstances of the trials makes it possible to systematize information about the mechanisms used to persecute Ukrainian citizens in Russia.
Evidence of torture, the absence of due process, and the use of fabricated charges may be relevant for documenting potential violations of international humanitarian law and establishing the accountability of those involved.
Identifying the judges and recording specific rulings is one stage of this work. At the same time, each case requires a proper verification of evidence and a legal assessment within the framework of the relevant procedures.
The project “The Book of Torturers of the Ukrainian People” has published information on 49 judges from two Russian military courts involved in handing down convictions against Ukrainian citizens, including prisoners of war.
Earlier, Ukrainian law enforcement officials announced charges against two militants from the illegal armed group “Vostok” who tortured volunteer Iryna Dovhan in 2014. She was tied to a pole in a square in occupied Donetsk and publicly humiliated for helping the Ukrainian military.
