Russian marine gets life sentence for executing Ukrainian POWs in Kursk Oblast
A Russian marine was sentenced to life imprisonment by Kyiv’s Shevchenkivskyi District Court for shooting two surrendered Ukrainian prisoners of war in Kursk Oblast in January 2025, Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office reports.
Ivanov, 53, a rifleman in Russia’s 40th Separate Marine Brigade of the Pacific Fleet, was convicted for violating the laws and customs of war through group cruel treatment of POWs that caused their deaths.
In January 2025, during fighting in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, he and other soldiers set up an ambush near the positions of Ukrainian units. While on patrol, the Russians stopped two Ukrainian soldiers.
The Ukrainian soldiers surrendered: they laid down their weapons and raised their hands. Despite this, according to the investigation, the defendant opened targeted fire on them. Both prisoners of war were killed.
The court found that there was no military necessity to use force, and the defendant understood that the order was criminal and could have refused to carry it out. However, he did not do so.
Ivanov was found guilty of offenses under Part 1 of Article 28 and Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine—violation of the laws and customs of war, group cruel treatment of prisoners of war, which led to their death. He was sentenced to life imprisonment.
The court also partially upheld the civil claim and ordered the convicted person to pay 50 million hryvnias ($1.2 million) in moral damages to the victim.
According to public broadcaster Suspilne, Ivanov was drafted into the Russian army in December 2024 and subsequently signed a contract. After two weeks of training in Sevastopol, Ivanov's unit was sent to Kursk Oblast.
The victims were Ukrainian soldiers from the 241st Separate Brigade of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The ex-wife of one of them demanded payment of 100 million hryvnias ($2.5 million) for her and her 14-year-old son. The woman herself has a disability and is unable to work full-time. According to the court's decision, Ivanov must pay her 50 million hryvnias jointly with the Russian government.
The victim's representative, Oleksandr Klymchuk, told Suspilne that this claim could be paid to the relatives of the deceased through the mechanism of the Register of Damages from Russian Aggression. He also said that another deceased soldier is still listed as "missing in action."
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