Donetsk court sentences Mariupol defenders amid outrage
A court in occupied Donetsk sentenced nine Ukrainian soldiers, defenders of Mariupol, to prison terms ranging from 24 years to life imprisonment. The international community has criticized these verdicts.
Nine Ukrainian soldiers who defended Mariupol were sentenced by a court in occupied Donetsk to prison terms from 24 years to life. This information was shared by the Mariupol City Council, functioning in Ukrainian territories. The sentences were handed down by a court of the unrecognized Donetsk People's Republic.
Ukraine. Who are the sentenced soldiers?
The sentenced soldiers are members of the 31st Independent Marine Infantry Brigade, who have been defending Mariupol since the start of the Russian invasion. They were accused of shelling the Stary Krym district in Mariupol in March 2022. After nearly three months of intense fighting in the besieged Azovstal, they surrendered to Russian forces in May 2022.
Ukraine. Mariupol defenders to be sent to penal colony
The soldiers will serve their sentences in a high-security penal colony. "In occupied Donetsk, the so-called court of the Donetsk People's Republic sentenced nine soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The occupiers accused them of shelling the Stary Krym district in Mariupol in March 2022 and sentenced them to terms ranging from 24 years to life imprisonment. The defenders will serve their sentences in a high-security penal colony," informed the Mariupol City Council.
The decision of the court in Donetsk was met with criticism from the international community, which does not recognize the legality of the Donetsk People's Republic. These sentences are viewed as part of a broader strategy of repression against Ukrainian defenders who have resisted Russian aggression.
