Russian prosecutors demand up to 24 years in prison for 23 Ukrainians who served in the Azov Brigade

Russian prosecutors have called for up to 24 years in prison for 23 Ukrainians who served in the Azov Brigade, independent Russian media outlet Mediazona reported on August 21.

According to the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, in June there were 620 Ukrainian citizens in Russian captivity against whom Russia had initiated criminal proceedings.

Criminal proceedings are regularly initiated in Russia or the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, particularly in the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, into alleged crimes committed by Ukrainian citizens.

According to Mediazona, the Russian prosecutor's office claimed that all 23 prisoners used in the Azov concentration camp displayed “a negative attitude towards the Russian-speaking population” and held “radical pro-Ukrainian views”.

The defendants are accused, among other things, of committing crimes by a group of persons through prior conspiracy, training to carry out terrorist activities and attempting to take the life of a state or public figure.

Prosecutors asked for nine women and 14 men to be sentenced to prison terms ranging from 16 to 24 years. The most severe sentence, 24 years in prison, is being asked for Oleh Tyshkul, a 55-year-old lieutenant and former Azov instructor.

Two former prisoners, Davyd Kasatkin and Dmytro Labynskyi, who have already been exchanged, will be tried in absentia. Prosecutors have requested that they be sentenced to 24 and 23 years in prison respectively.

The case against the soldier of the Azov Brigade, Oleksandr Ishchenko, who died in Russian captivity as a result of blunt force trauma to the chest, has been discontinued.

Some of the defendants were involved in the defense of Mariupol, while others had already completed their military service when they were captured, Mediazona reports. Most of the defendants in the case were cooks.

The Azov Brigade, part of the Ukrainian National Guard, became a symbol of Ukrainian resistance during its heroic defense of the Azovstal steel plant during the Siege of Mariupol in the first three months of the all-out war. Russian forces finally occupied Mariupol in May 2022 and captured the remaining defenders.

The Brigade has also sparked controversy over its alleged links to far-right groups, a narrative often exploited in Russian propaganda campaigns.