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Ukraine Hands Life Sentence to Russian Soldier for Executing Captured Ukrainian Troops
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![Photo of Ivan Khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
A Ukrainian court has sentenced captured Russian serviceman Sergey Tuzhylov, call sign “Altai,” to life imprisonment for his role in the execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war during Russia’s renewed offensive in Kharkiv region in 2024.
According to the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, Tuzhylov was found guilty on January 13, 2026, of war crimes related to the torture and deliberate killing of POWs.
The charges include aiding and committing cruel treatment of prisoners combined with intentional murder, as well as premeditated killings by a group of individuals acting in conspiracy.
The court determined that Tuzhylov, then a commander of a grenade launcher unit in the 82nd Motorized Rifle Regiment of Russia’s 69th Motorized Rifle Division, directly participated in multiple executions of unarmed Ukrainian servicemen after their capture near Vovchansk, Kharkiv region.
In June 2024, during Russia’s attempt to re-enter territory in the Kharkiv region, Russian forces occupied the premises of the Vovchansk Aggregate Plant. Ukrainian investigators said that a disoriented and unarmed Ukrainian soldier, who had become separated during fighting, surrendered at this location.
After interrogation, Russian personnel received orders from command to execute the prisoner. Tuzhylov selected the location—an internal checkpoint at the plant—and supervised the execution, which was carried out with a gunshot to the head.
In early July, two additional Ukrainian POWs were reportedly bound to poles on the premises, tortured, and later executed by Tuzhylov and another Russian soldier. Investigators state that Tuzhylov personally shot one of the prisoners in the back of the head using his service weapon.
Ukrainian forces later retook the facility, and during the operation on September 24, 2024, military intelligence units detained several Russian soldiers, including Tuzhylov. Prosecutors documented the crime scene and collected forensic evidence and witness testimony.
Ukrainian authorities have confirmed that Tuzhylov is a 36-year-old Russian national from the Leningrad Military District. Before mobilization, he served two prison sentences in Russia for drug-related crimes and armed robbery. At the time of the war crimes, he held the position of assault rifleman in the same 69th Motorized Rifle Division.
In court, Tuzhylov claimed he was “just following orders,” according to statements by Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko. However, the court ruled that the execution of an unlawful order, especially one involving the killing of defenseless prisoners, constitutes a conscious and punishable war crime under international and Ukrainian law.
Earlier, Russian forces executed two Ukrainian servicemen after capturing them during an assault near the village of Shakhove in Ukraine’s Donetsk region on December 27, according to the Prosecutor General’s Office.
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-fb1e54e947b36389d3c8c9646e655f04.jpeg "Ukrainian Court Sentences Russian Soldier to 12 Years for Abducting Civilians in Chernihiv Region")
-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")