Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has signed a decree appointing a further eight judges to illegal judicial bodies in Ukraine’s temporarily occupied territories. They will serve for six years.
This was reported by Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence (HUR) at the Ministry of Defence.
According to HUR, Putin signed Decree No. 723 on 12 October 2026. Four judges were appointed in the occupied part of Donetsk Oblast, two in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, and one each in Luhansk Oblast and Sevastopol.
In particular, Anastasiia Zhuzhgova, Olha Klavdeieva and Olha Sytnikova were appointed to the so-called “supreme court” in occupied Donetsk Oblast. Islam Tualiev became a judge of the so-called “garrison military court”.
In occupied Luhansk Oblast, Vladyslav Pototskyi was appointed a judge of the so-called “supreme court”.
In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Vladyslav Neklesov was appointed to the so-called “Melitopol inter-district court”, and Idris Israilov to the “garrison military court”.
In Sevastopol, Oksana Yefremenko took up the post of judge of the so-called “arbitration court”.
HUR notes that the occupation courts are used to persecute Ukrainians, including those who resist forced passportisation. According to the intelligence service, these institutions are also being used to unlawfully strip Ukrainian citizens en masse of property and parental rights.
Overall, since 2023 Russia has appointed 665 judges in Ukraine’s temporarily occupied territories. Of these, 38 were appointed in 2026.
Intelligence officials stress that Russia continues to expand the system of occupation judicial bodies, which are used to persecute Ukrainians in the seized territories.