Ukraine advances wartime trials for sexual violence, treason, and desertion

Ukrainian authorities are continuing legal proceedings addressing war crimes, treason, and desertion connected to the ongoing Russian invasion.

In a landmark case, Ukrainian prosecutors have begun the trial of Russian captive Serhiy Karpilovych, marking the first in-person prosecution in Ukraine of a Russian serviceman for wartime sexual violence. Investigators state Karpilovych repeatedly assaulted a civilian woman over a two-month period in the Donetsk region. Karpilovych denied the charges during a detention interview, asserting the encounters were consensual.

Separately, the State Bureau of Investigation issued an in-absentia notice of suspicion to a former Ukrainian border guard who allegedly abandoned his position at Mariupol's Azovstal plant in 2022 to command a mortar team for Russian-backed forces. In Donetsk region, a court also sentenced a 36-year-old Lyman resident to 15 years in prison for high treason after he transmitted military coordinates to Russian contacts.

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