Ukraine advances war crimes and treason trials against Russian soldiers and defectors

Ukrainian authorities are advancing multiple judicial and law enforcement actions concerning war crimes and treason linked to Russia's invasion.

In a landmark case, Ukrainian prosecutors have brought to trial Russian captive Serhiy Karpilovych, accused of repeatedly raping a civilian woman over two months in the Donetsk region. Karpilovych, captured by Ukrainian forces in December, denied the allegations in an interview, claiming the relationship was consensual.

Simultaneously, the State Bureau of Investigation issued a notice of suspicion in absentia to a former Ukrainian border guard. Investigators say he abandoned his post at Mariupol's Azovstal steel plant in 2022 to become a mortar commander for Russian-backed forces.

In another ruling, a Donetsk regional court sentenced a 36-year-old Lyman resident to 15 years in prison for treason after he transmitted military coordinates to Russian contacts.

Sources: Liga net, NV, Radio Svoboda, Slidstvo.Info, Ukrainska Pravda