Global Courant
More than 20 Ukrainian soldiers captured during fighting in Ukraine face trial in southern Russia
Ukrainian soldiers captured in combat sit in a defendant’s glass cage during a hearing at the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, Wednesday, June 14, 2023. More than 20 Ukrainian soldiers captured in combat are taken in Ukraine are tried in southern Russia. The captured soldiers were members of the Azov battalion that fought against Russian forces last year in the port of Mariupol on the Sea of Azov. (AP photo)
The associated press
MOSCOW — More than 20 Ukrainian soldiers captured during fighting in Ukraine were put on trial in southern Russia on Wednesday.
The captured soldiers were members of the Azov Battalion, an elite unit of the Ukrainian Armed Forces that fought against Russian forces in the port of Mariupol on the Sea of Azov. Russia captured Mariupol last year after a three-month battle that had left most of the city in smoldering ruins.
The last remaining Ukrainian defenders hiding at a giant steel mill in Mariupol surrendered to Russian forces in May 2022.
The Russian authorities have classified the Azov battalion as a terrorist group. The defendants are charged with involvement in a terrorist organization and participation in actions to overthrow the Russian-backed authorities in the Donetsk region.
They face sentences ranging from 15 years to life in prison if convicted.
Of the 24 people charged, two were exchanged for Russian prisoners of war as part of a prisoner exchange. Of the remaining 22 defendants facing trial, eight are women, who are said to have worked as cooks for the Azov battalion.
