The court sentenced 15 Russian military personnel to 12 years in prison for unlawfully holding 368 civilians in the basement of a school in the village of Yahidne in March 2022.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the Russians detained 368 people in a basement measuring about 200 square meters for 27 days. Among the captives were 69 minors. Due to inadequate conditions and lack of medical assistance during this time, 10 people died.
Prosecutor Sergiy Krupko requested the highest punishment provided by the article under which they were tried – 12 years in prison. Defense lawyers argued that there was insufficient evidence against their clients and they should be acquitted.
None of the victims attended the court for the verdict reading, and the case was heard in absentia. It is currently unknown where the 15 accused Russian military personnel are.
The village of Yahidne in the Chernihiv region was almost completely destroyed during the Russian invasion. Occupiers drove locals into the basement of a school and held them there in unsanitary conditions for nearly a month. Ten elderly local residents died there, and their names were written on the wall.
Photo: open sources
