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20-Year-Old Russian Guard Gets Sentence in Absentia for Torture of Civilians in Kherson
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![Photo of Liubava Petriv]( "Photo of Liubava Petriv")
On October 17, a Ukrainian court sentenced a 20-year-old Russian serviceman to life imprisonment in absentia for his role in war crimes committed during the occupation of Kherson.
The convicted individual, a member of Russia’s National Guard (Rosgvardiya), served as a prison guard in a torture facility operated by occupying forces.
According to Ukraine’s National Police, the torture site was established in the seized temporary detention center of the Kherson regional police department. The soldier acted as a guard on the orders of his superiors, ensuring the capture, illegal detention, and mistreatment of local civilians.
Investigators identified at least four Ukrainian victims who were held in inhumane conditions—deprived of food, water, hygiene, and subjected to both physical and psychological abuse. The soldier was directly involved in brutal interrogations and, in one instance, the fatal beating of a detainee. He also blocked access to medical aid for those suffering from torture.
The court found him guilty under multiple articles of Ukraine’s Criminal Code, including:
Aiding and abetting in cruel treatment of civilians;
Intentional murder committed by a group conspiracy;
Violations of the laws and customs of war.
The indictment was approved by the regional prosecutor’s office in April 2024, and the trial has now concluded with a life sentence delivered in absentia.
Earlier this week, Yevhen Matviyev, mayor of the temporarily occupied city of Dniprorudne in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, has died from injuries sustained under torture.
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