“We are no different”: convicted occupier equated Ukrainians with Russians
On 13 January 2026, the Kholodnohirskyi District Court of Kharkiv sentenced Russian prisoner of war Serhii Tuzhylov, call sign “Altai”, to life imprisonment.
He was found guilty of cruel treatment of Ukrainian defenders and premeditated murders committed in conspiracy.
Tuzhylov, commander of a grenade-launcher squad of the 82nd Motor Rifle Regiment of the Russian Armed Forces, took part in the assault on the Vovchansk Aggregate Plant in the summer of 2024.
In June 2024, 47-year-old Vasyl Mulko lost his way and was captured by the occupiers. After interrogation, Russian command ordered his execution — Tuzhylov chose the execution site at a checkpoint on the plant’s premises and oversaw the process. Another Russian fired the fatal shot to the head, but “Altai” coordinated the entire operation.
In early July, two other defenders — 33-year-old Yurii Hyryzhuk and 36-year-old Maksym Sidehov — were captured during fighting in Vovchansk. They were interrogated, fed, tied up and shot in the back of the head at a pumping station. Tuzhylov personally killed Sidehov after hearing the order “Send them to Bandera” over the radio.
During closing arguments, prosecutor Mykyta Daloka stressed that the events at the plant were not an accident but a systematic violation of the Geneva Conventions. Tuzhylov confessed during an investigative experiment, identified the victims and explained his actions as following orders, but the court rejected this argument. Relatives of the victims, joining via video link, demanded the maximum sentence, doubting the sincerity of his remorse.
“We are no different,” Tuzhylov said, equating Ukrainians with Russians and mentioning the Kursk operation.
