Two Russian servicemen sentenced to 11.5 years in prison over shelling of Kharkiv Oblast

A court in Poltava Oblast found two Russian servicemen guilty of violating the customs of war and sentenced them to 11 years and 6 months in prison. The verdict was announced during a court hearing on May 31.

Grad system driver-loader Aleksandr Bobykin and gunner Aleksandr Ivanov were found guilty of violating the laws and customs of war. They fully admitted their guilt and declared remorse.

The court found remorse a mitigating circumstance, but rejected arguments that the Russians had acted under duress. Both defendants were sentenced to 11 years and 6 months in prison. The term of imprisonment is counted from April 6, 2022, when the occupiers were detained. Until the verdict comes into force, Bobykin and Ivanov will remain in pre-trial detention.

The verdict can be appealed within 30 days. It is worth noting that the prosecutor's office asked for 12 years in prison for the Russians, while their defenders requested 8 years.

Details of the case

According to the investigation, on February 24, 2022, Bobykin and Ivanov fired from the territory of the Russian Belgorod region. The prosecutor's office emphasizes that the shells hit residential buildings in the village of Kozacha Lopan and a veterinary lyceum near Derhachi. As a result of the strikes, civilian facilities were destroyed.

Then the Russian military crossed the state border of Ukraine and continued shelling the Kharkiv Oblast. After the defeat of their column, the Ukrainian military captured Bobykin and Ivanov.

This comes after the first sentence to a Russian soldier for a crime against a civilian was announced on May 23 in Kyiv. 21-year-old sergeant Vadim Shishimarin was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of a Sumy Oblast resident.