A Russian commander who used prisoners of war as human shields in the Sumy region has been charged in Ukraine
Law enforcement officials have identified a Russian Army battalion commander who, according to the investigation, ordered the use of Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilian women to cover the retreat of a Russian military convoy. Under the procedural guidance of the Sumy Regional Prosecutor’s Office, the man was notified in absentia of his status as a suspect in violating the laws and customs of war.
According to the investigation, on March 1, 2022, approximately 300 Russian servicemen in 45 military vehicles were moving through the Sumy region toward the Ukrainian state border.
To avoid fire from the Ukrainian Defense Forces and ensure the column’s retreat, the commander—according to the investigation—ordered the use of six Ukrainian prisoners of war and two civilian women as “human shields.”
According to the prosecutor’s office, the prisoners and civilians were placed in vehicles that traveled ahead of the Russian military convoy.
Investigators believe that the Russian military counted on Ukrainian defenders not opening fire due to the threat to the lives of the people the occupiers were using as cover.
The suspect is 45 years old and a native of the Kaluga Region of Russia. At the time the alleged crime was committed, the man commanded a battalion of the 1st Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 2nd Motorized Rifle Division of the Russian Federation’s 1st Tank Army.
He was notified in absentia of the charges against him under Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine—violation of the laws and customs of war.
The penalty under this article ranges from 8 to 12 years of imprisonment.
The “North” mobile justice team from the international organization Global Rights Compliance was enlisted to document this incident.
Experts, in collaboration with law enforcement officials, mapped, organized, and analyzed the evidence related to this incident.
The investigation is ongoing.
This was reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine.
In the Kherson region, 237 people have been notified of their status as suspects in cases involving the organization and conduct of a Russian pseudo-referendum in the temporarily occupied territories. Another 107 people are suspected of activities related to the conduct of illegal “elections.”
Earlier, law enforcement officials served notices of suspicion in absentia to two residents of Kherson who are suspected of participating in the organization and conduct of an illegal “referendum” on the region’s accession to the Russian Federation. According to the investigation, they were members of the occupying “election commission” and helped conduct the sham vote. Both suspects are currently in hiding in the temporarily occupied territory.
A court found a 27-year-old resident of the Kherson region guilty of collaboration for her participation in organizing the illegal “referendum” held by Russian occupiers in 2022.
