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Russia Sentences 250 Captured Ukrainian Azov Servicemen via Fabricated Trials
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About 250 members of Ukraine’s Azov Brigade have been sentenced by Russian courts since the start of the full-scale invasion, with the number continuing to rise.
This was announced by representatives of Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (CHTPW) and the Azov Brigade during a press conference, according to Ukrinform on June 30.
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According to Nestor Barchuk, head of international relations on prisoner-of-war issues for the strategic communications department of the 1st Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine “Azov,” around 250 of nearly 700 captured Azov servicemen have received convictions in Russia.
He added that Ukrainian prisoners of war are frequently subjected to torture, which, according to him, often results in forced confessions to crimes they did not commit.
Viktoriia Petruk, head of human rights programmes at the CHTPW, said the number of convictions continues to increase through trials conducted in absentia and court proceedings against Ukrainian servicemen.
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According to Petruk, Russian authorities prosecute Azov personnel on two main grounds: alleged war crimes, which Ukraine says are fabricated, and membership in the Azov unit itself. She noted that Russia’s Supreme Court of the Russian Federation designated Azov a terrorist organisation in 2022, a ruling that Moscow has used as the basis for criminal prosecutions.
Petruk said that approximately 300 Ukrainian servicemen accused by Russia of various alleged crimes have so far been returned from captivity. Those released had held different procedural statuses under the Russian legal system, ranging from suspects to formally charged defendants.
She added that securing the release of convicted prisoners is particularly difficult because, under Russian law, individuals who have been sentenced can only be included in prisoner exchanges after receiving a pardon from Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
The reported convictions come amid continuing allegations of mistreatment of captured Azov personnel.
In a separate case, Ukrainian military medic Oleksandr Krokhmaliuk, who served as chief of the unit’s medical service, died while in Russian captivity after sustaining injuries that were documented during a forensic examination following the return of his body to Ukraine.
Palamar said Krokhmaliuk joined Azov in 2016 and was taken prisoner after leaving the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol. He was reportedly held first in Olenivka before being transferred to detention facilities in Taganrog and Kamyshin, Russia.
According to Palamar, Krokhmaliuk’s remains were repatriated to Ukraine in September 2025 as part of a body exchange between the two sides. A forensic examination carried out in Lviv on September 22, 2025, concluded that he had died from fractured ribs and blunt-force trauma to the chest.
The broader trend of convictions is reflected in recent rulings by Russian military courts. In one such case, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced three captured members of Ukraine’s Azov Brigade to 20 years in prison in proceedings classified by Russian authorities as terrorism-related.
According to Mediazona, Mykhailo Nasonov, 50, Vladyslav Kormilin, 30, and Serhii Kopylov, 52, were found guilty of “participation in a terrorist organisation” and “undergoing terrorist training.” Mediazona noted that Russian courts have regularly used such charges in prosecutions involving members of the Azov unit.
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