"The court found Kurashov, a rifleman in the Storm-V assault unit of Russia's 127th Motorized Rifle Division composed of convicts who signed up to fight for the Kremlin in Ukraine in exchange for their release from prison back home, shot and killed unarmed Ukrainian serviceman Vitaliy Hodnyuk at point-blank range. According to the court, Hodnyuk emerged unarmed from a dugout and, following orders to put his hands up and kneel, Kurashov opened fire with a Kalashnikov assault rifle."
"Kurashov, who was previously convicted in Russia for theft, joined the Russian armed forces in November 2023 in exchange for amnesty and was deployed to the Zaporizhzhya front. After the incident, Ukrainian forces launched a counterattack, recapturing their positions and took Kurashov and four of his fellow Russian soldiers prisoners, some of whom testified against him at the trial. Kurashov lost an eye in the battle."
Dmitry Kurashov, 27, was sentenced to life in prison by a Zaporizhzhya court after being found guilty of shooting and killing unarmed Ukrainian serviceman Vitaliy Hodnyuk at point-blank range. Kurashov served in the Storm-V assault unit of Russia's 127th Motorized Rifle Division, a formation of convicts recruited with promises of release. Hodnyuk emerged unarmed and complied with orders to kneel before being shot. Kurashov had a prior theft conviction, joined Russian forces in November 2023 for amnesty, and was captured after a Ukrainian counterattack. Fellow prisoner testimony and evidence supported the conviction after Kurashov retracted an initial confession. The sentence comes amid ongoing documentation of alleged war crimes, including confirmed executions of hundreds of Ukrainian POWs and UN findings of systematic and widespread torture.
Read at RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
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