Military commissar prosecuted in Ukraine for "mobilisation" in Crimea for the first time

A military commissar from the Russia-occupied peninsula of Crimea was prosecuted in Ukraine for the first time. Konstantin Kacharov was sentenced to 11 years in prison in absentia for forcing the residents of Crimea to serve in the Armed Forces of Russia.

Source: Prosecutor’s Office of the Autonomic Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, source of Ukrainska Pravda in law enforcement

Quote: "According to the public accusation of the Prosecutor’s Office of the Autonomic Republic of Crimea, an occupying military commissar from Crimea was sentenced to 11 years of imprisonment in absentia. He was found guilty of breaking laws and customs of war, specifically forcing civilians from the occupied peninsula to serve in the Armed Forces of Russia (Art. 438.1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). This is the first sentence in Ukraine for this crime."

Details: The convicted, a citizen of the Russian Federation, took office as the "military commissar of the Simferopol district and the city of Alushta of the Republic of Crimea" in 2018.

The Prosecutor’s Office does not name him but, according to the sources of Ukrainska Pravda, this is Konstantin Kacharov.

He implemented the policy of Russia and its occupying administration aimed at conducting illegal military draft campaigns of the population of the peninsula to the Armed Forces of Russia.

This man followed illegal "orders" of the top leadership of Russia by working out plans and organising five military draft campaigns among the residents of Crimea in corresponding districts of the occupied peninsula.

The Prosecutor’s Office of Crimea reported that Russia has been regularly conducting military draft campaigns and forcing Crimean residents to serve in the Russian army since 2015. After the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russians initiated the illegal mobilisation of Crimean residents as well.

At the moment, 10 military commissars from different districts of occupied Crimea were handed suspicions concerning committing the same war crime. Three indictments are currently pending in court.

The Prosecutor’s Office of Crimea in conjunction with non-governmental organisations informed the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court about this matter. The information reports contain proof that the top military and political leadership of Russia committed war crimes in the context of illegal military draft and propaganda of service in the Russian army, targeted at children as well.

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