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Russia Sentences Azov and Aidar Battalion Fighters to Almost 20 Yeras in Prison for Terrorism
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The Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don has issued sentences for three Ukrainian prisoners of war from the Azov and Aidar battalions, who were charged with terrorism-related offenses.
This was reported by Mediazona on December 9.
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The convicted individuals were found guilty of participating in a terrorist organization and receiving training for terrorist activities.
Maksym Cherednychenko, an Azov soldier, was sentenced to 18 years in prison. He had previously been identified as a prisoner of war, along with six other soldiers, who were accused by Russian authorities of shelling residential areas. According to Mediazona, in 2024, Cherednychenko had already been sentenced to 26 years in prison.
Serhiy Spanchek, also an Azov fighter, received an 18-year sentence in a high-security facility.
Additionally, Bohdan Havyada, a 44-year-old fighter from the Aidar battalion, was sentenced to 17 years in a high-security prison.
In a saparate case, Russian court has sentenced two Ukrainian servicemen, Ruslan Orlov and Artem Novikov, to prison terms of 24 and 26 years, respectively, after they were accused of killing residents of the self-declared “Donetsk People’s Republic”.
Orlov and Novikov, who Russian authorities identified as members of the Azov Brigade, were convicted under two key articles of Russia’s Criminal Code. These charges included the alleged cruel treatment of civilians and the use of prohibited methods during armed conflict, in violation of international agreements.
Moreover, they were found guilty of the murder of two or more individuals, supposedly carried out by an organized group motivated by political and ideological hatred.
These charges have not been independently verified, and the trial is viewed by many as part of Russia's wider strategy to criminalize Ukrainian resistance forces.
Earlier, a military court in Rostov handed down a 21-year sentence to Vladyslav Shpak, a Ukrainian prisoner of war from the Azov Brigade, sentencing him to serve time in a strict regime penal colony.
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