Russian POW's war crimes trial enters fourth year with witnesses yet to testify

Andrei Medvedev, a soldier from Russia's 104th Air Assault Regiment, was captured by Ukrainian forces in Kherson Oblast in the fall of 2022. He is accused of abusing civilians during Russia's occupation of the Kyiv suburbs in March that year.

His case reached the Irpin City Court in spring 2023, and the indictment was read in November. Three years later, the proceedings have not reached their halfway point.

The court is still examining documentary evidence. Witness testimony, questioning of the defendant, closing arguments and a verdict all remain ahead.

Allegations of mock executions and abuse

According to prosecutors, Medvedev forced two civilians to kneel with their heads pressed together at a military hospital in Irpin before firing shots over them.

He is also accused of entering a house with another Russian serviceman, Alexander Viselkov, where one civilian was interrogated, beaten and subjected to a mock execution. Viselkov is being tried separately in absentia.

In Bucha, prosecutors allege that Medvedev and another serviceman detained and abused six civilians, including two people with disabilities. The men were allegedly beaten, threatened with execution and pressured to reveal Ukrainian military positions.

Some were held in basements and threatened with a grenade.

Medvedev has denied the charges, according to the Media Initiative for Human Rights, a Ukrainian organization monitoring the proceedings.

The court has reviewed videos of investigative reenactments involving victims and Medvedev himself.

In one recording, Medvedev acknowledged escorting civilians to the basement of a camp called Promenystyi and described a beating carried out by Viselkov.

Other recordings showed alleged victims reconstructing their detention, abuse and threats. Two men described being forced to kneel at the Irpin military hospital while a Russian soldier fired above them. They later escaped over a fence.

Why has the trial taken so long?

The proceedings have repeatedly been delayed.

According to the Media Initiative for Human Rights, evidence was examined at only four of 21 scheduled hearings in 2024 and six of 16 in 2025.

Some hearings were canceled because judges were absent. Others were devoted to extending Medvedev's pretrial detention.

At the October 6 hearing attended by hromadske, the court again did not examine evidence. Instead, prosecutors requested another extension of Medvedev's detention.

His state-appointed defense lawyer, participating remotely, briefly opposed the request. Medvedev also objected.

The three-judge panel extended his detention by another 60 days.

Prosecutor Mykola Tiora told hromadske that most documentary evidence had now been examined and the trial was approaching the witness testimony stage.

He described the case as complex, partly because Medvedev is physically present and participates in the proceedings, unlike Russian servicemen tried in absentia.

Tiora also said coordinating hearings among three judges posed scheduling difficulties. Nevertheless, he maintained that the case receives priority because the defendant remains in custody.

He did not provide a timeline for its conclusion.

'As if your people don't torture Russians'

Medvedev, who suffered a leg injury before his capture, entered the courtroom using a cane, with his leg in a brace.

Speaking to hromadske journalist Denys Bulavin before the hearing, he said he did not understand why the proceedings were taking so long when, in his view, the outcome was already obvious.

Asked whether he wanted to be included in a prisoner exchange, he responded irritably that he had no choice in the matter.

When Bulavin remarked that Medvedev's detention conditions were better than those experienced by Ukrainians held in Russia, the defendant challenged how the journalist could know.

Bulavin referred to the condition of Ukrainian prisoners released from Russian captivity.

"As if your people don't torture Russians," Medvedev replied.

The exchange later turned to Russian attacks on Ukraine.

Asked whether he heard explosions while detained in Kyiv, Medvedev said he was not frightened and spent air raid alerts staring at the ceiling.

When asked what would happen if a strike hit the detention facility, he replied that he would rather it happened sooner.

Medvedev's next hearing is scheduled for November 2.

This article was produced with support from the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) project “Journalism for Justice.”