Russian Soldier Jailed for Life in Ukraine for Executing Civilians

A Ukrainian court sentenced a Russian soldier to life in prison on Thursday for shooting two civilians at point-blank range with a machine gun near Kupyansk, a city in the northeastern Kharkiv region.

According to a Thursday press release by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), 21-year-old Artem Kulikov was serving time for robbery and theft at Nizhny Novgorod prison in Russia when he was recruited into the 23rd Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 6th Combined Arms Army in August 2024.

In October 2024, during attempts to capture one of the villages in the Kupyansk district, Kulikov, together with an accomplice, detained and later shot the two local residents as they were attempting to help a fellow villager evacuate to safety, the press release says. The two men died at the scene. 

According to the SBU, Kulikov and his accomplice questioned their victims about the location of nearby Ukrainian troops but “did not receive any information” before killing them.

Kulikov was captured by Ukrainian forces in October 2024 and charged with committing a war crime under Part 2 of Article 28, Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The SBU press release further stated that he had given “incriminating testimony” about his commanders, who allegedly gave orders to kill civilians in Ukraine’s occupied territories.

According to Radio Liberty, Ukraine’s former prosecutor general said in July 2023 that more than 50 Russian soldiers had been tried and convicted of war crimes in the war against Ukraine. As per the BBC, Ukraine has no dedicated war crimes courts, so each case is handled by the local court with jurisdiction.

Other Topics of Interest

Torture, Rape, Mock Executions: Former Donetsk Art Center Turned Into Prison of Abuse

A new report by Truth Hounds on Monday concludes that crimes committed at the Izoliatsiia detention facility in occupied Donetsk may amount to crimes against humanity. Based on 30 survivor testimonies and other evidence, researchers documented torture, sexual violence, enforced disappearances and unlawful imprisonment, while finding indications that the prison remains active more than a decade after its seizure.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has been investigating Russian crimes against Ukraine since March 2022, but they have so far issued just six public arrest warrants – primarily for senior Russian officials, including Russian leader Vladimir Putin for his role in abducting Ukrainian children.