NewsUkraine sentences 15 Russian soldiers for holding villagers captive

Ukraine sentences 15 Russian soldiers for holding villagers captive

Scandalous behavior of Russians. A court in Ukraine has issued a verdict.

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6:08 AM EDT, March 12, 2024

According to the General Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine, these soldiers were convicted by the district court of the Chernihiv region for violating the laws and customs of war.

During the occupation of the village of Jagodnoye from March 3 to March 31, 2022, the Russian military forcibly held residents in the school's basement, as investigation findings reveal.

The Meduza website reports that 368 individuals, including 69 children, were confined in a 2,120-square-foot room. The ages of the captives ranged from a month and a half old infant to a 93-year-old.

The prosecution accused the Russians of using the residents as "human shields" for their command position. Due to inhumane conditions and lack of medical care, ten civilians died in this "basement of death."

A villager recounted to the BBC the grim situation where deceased bodies couldn't be immediately moved outside, resulting in them staying in the basement for hours or even days.

During this operation, the command of the troops was traced to a man known by the call sign "Klon" (real name - Semen Solovov), as disclosed by the Hromadske portal in July 2022.

The investigation suggests that Solovov was the one who ordered the detention of civilians in the school's basement. Informed in absentia of the accusations against him concerning the cruel treatment of civilians and violating the laws of war, his case is set to be considered separately by the end of February 2024.