The project ‘Book of Executioners of the Ukrainian People’ has published the names of 26 judges of Russia’s Southern District Military Court who, since August 2022, have handed down at least 128 guilty verdicts against Ukrainian citizens, including prisoners of war, as well as 23 judges of Russia’s 2nd Western District Military Court who, under the same script, convicted 224 Ukrainians.
As stated on the project’s website, at the time this piece was prepared, at least 150 cases remained on these judges’ dockets.
Since 2022, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don has, overall, delivered guilty verdicts in 436 cases against Ukrainian citizens. Other military courts are hearing similar fabricated cases on a smaller scale.
Most often, Ukrainians are convicted under Articles 205.3 of the Russian Criminal Code (“undergoing training for the purpose of terrorist activity”) and 205.4 of the Russian Criminal Code (“participation in a terrorist community”). It was under these articles that the vast majority of the defenders of Azovstal were tried. Typical sentences are 13 and 18 years’ imprisonment; in some cases, life imprisonment.
According to testimony collected from Ukrainian servicemen released from captivity, the fabrication of cases during hours-long interrogations is accompanied by systematic torture: electric shocks, beatings, mock executions, sexual violence, and so on. By former prisoners’ estimates, only about 30% of the use of force was aimed at extracting specific “confessions”. The rest was intimidation and “preparation” for conversations with investigators.
When the main stage of preparing a case was completed, prisoners who were tried in the Southern District Military Court were transferred to Remand Prison No. 1 in Rostov-on-Don, where detention conditions were less harsh, in order to conceal signs of torture before appearing in court.
An analysis of the verdicts shows that court hearings were mostly reduced to two formal episodes lasting 30 minutes each: the reading of the charges and the pronouncement of the verdict. There was no real examination of evidence, questioning of witnesses, or полноценного defence.
List of identified judges, whose details are based on established identification information and analysed materials from criminal case files.
Russia’s 2nd Western District Military Court:
- Judge Vitaliy Volodymyrovych Bakin handed down guilty verdicts against eight Ukrainian citizens.
- Judge Oleg Oleksandrovych Belousov (details being clarified) handed down guilty verdicts against eight Ukrainian citizens.
- Judge Eduard Borysovych Borisov (details being clarified) handed down guilty verdicts against two Ukrainian citizens.
- Judge Serhiy Volodymyrovych Brovko handed down guilty verdicts against six Ukrainian citizens.
- Judge Roman Viktorovych Vladimirov handed down guilty verdicts against 11 Ukrainian citizens.
- Judge Ihor Volodymyrovych Druhachenko handed down guilty verdicts against 11 Ukrainian citizens.
- Judge Tymur Heorhiyovych Zhydkov (details being clarified) handed down guilty verdicts against 15 Ukrainian citizens.
- Judge Yevheniy Vasylovych Zubov handed down guilty verdicts against 12 Ukrainian citizens.
- Judge Dmytro Yuriyovych Ivanov handed down guilty verdicts against seven Ukrainian citizens.
- Judge Anton Ihorovych Kakadayev handed down guilty verdicts against 15 Ukrainian citizens.
- Judge Roman Ivanovych Kiforenko handed down guilty verdicts against 11 Ukrainian citizens.
- Judge Oleksandr Mykhailovych Kondratiev handed down guilty verdicts against 10 Ukrainian citizens.
- Judge Vadym Volodymyrovych Krasnov handed down guilty verdicts against three Ukrainian citizens.
- Judge Serhiy Petrovych Kryvosheiev handed down guilty verdicts against 12 Ukrainian citizens.
- Judge Yuriy Oleksandrovych Massin handed down guilty verdicts against 17 Ukrainian citizens.
- Judge Andriy Oleksandrovych Morozov handed down guilty verdicts against 17 Ukrainian citizens.
- Judge Oleksandr Hermanovych Nassukha (details being clarified) handed down guilty verdicts against one Ukrainian citizen.
- Judge Ihor Volodymyrovych Nikitchuk (details being clarified) handed down guilty verdicts against 15 Ukrainian citizens.
- Judge Andriy Viktorovych Pluzhnikov (details being clarified) handed down guilty verdicts against seven Ukrainian citizens.
- Judge Kostiantyn Mykolaiovych Repeta handed down guilty verdicts against three Ukrainian citizens.
- Judge Vasyl Oleksiyovych Sai handed down guilty verdicts against four Ukrainian citizens.
- Judge Ihor Vasylovych Semin (details being clarified) handed down guilty verdicts against 10 Ukrainian citizens.
- Judge Albert Viktorovych Tryshkin handed down guilty verdicts against 19 Ukrainian citizens.
Russia’s Southern District Military Court
- Judge Illia Mykolaiovych Bezhub handed down guilty verdicts against 11 Ukrainian citizens.
- Judge Mykolai Yuriyovych Vasylchuk (details being clarified) handed down a guilty verdict against one Ukrainian citizen.
- Judge Denys Vitaliyovych Vovchenko handed down guilty verdicts against three Ukrainian citizens.
- Judge Oleg Valeriyovych Volkov (details being clarified) is hearing one case.
- Judge Denys Oleksandrovych Galkin handed down guilty verdicts against 11 Ukrainian citizens.
- Judge Oleksandr Vasylovych Heneralov handed down guilty verdicts against four Ukrainian citizens.
- Judge Serhiy Mykhailovych Horyelov handed down guilty verdicts against two Ukrainian citizens.
- Judge Pavlo Yuriyovych Hubaryev handed down guilty verdicts against 12 Ukrainian citizens.
- Judge Hurhen Serzhykovych Dovlatbekyan (details being clarified) handed down guilty verdicts against four Ukrainian citizens.
- Judge Arslan Ivanovych Zhahinov handed down guilty verdicts against three Ukrainian citizens.
- Judge Ihor Volodymyrovych Kostin (details being clarified) handed down guilty verdicts against four Ukrainian citizens.
- Judge Kyrylo Mykolaiovych Krivtsov handed down guilty verdicts against 12 Ukrainian citizens.
- Judge Sakyt Yeskerkhanovych Lachinov (details being clarified) handed down guilty verdicts against three Ukrainian citizens.
- Judge Oleksiy Abdulmazhytovych Mahomadov (details being clarified) is hearing one case.
- Judge Vitaliy Viktorovych Mamyedov (details being clarified) handed down guilty verdicts against three Ukrainian citizens.
- Judge Timur Khabasovych Mashukov handed down guilty verdicts against eight Ukrainian citizens.
- Judge Andriy Mykolaiovych Minashkin handed down guilty verdicts against eight Ukrainian citizens.
- Judge Maksym Mykhailovych Nikitin (details being clarified) handed down guilty verdicts against two Ukrainian citizens.
- Judge Serhiy Viacheslavovych Obraztsov (details being clarified) handed down guilty verdicts against four Ukrainian citizens.
- Judge Valeriy Serhiyovych Opanasenko handed down guilty verdicts against four Ukrainian citizens.
- Judge Kostiantyn Ihorovych Prostov handed down guilty verdicts against seven Ukrainian citizens.
- Judge Roman Viktorovych Saprunov handed down guilty verdicts against two Ukrainian citizens.
- Judge Denys Vasylovych Stepanov handed down guilty verdicts against five Ukrainian citizens.
- Judge Oleg Dmytrovych Terentiev (details being clarified) handed down guilty verdicts against three Ukrainian citizens.
- Judge Oleg Oleksandrovych Cherepov (details being clarified) handed down guilty verdicts against seven Ukrainian citizens.
- Judge Artem Oleksandrovych Shalayev handed down guilty verdicts against five Ukrainian citizens.