Prosecutor General's Office explains why Russian soldiers are tried in Ukraine even after news of their deaths

Ukrainian law enforcement agencies are methodically working to prove the guilt of Russian war criminals, even if there is information about their deaths at war. Particular attention is paid to crimes against civilians.

Source: Andrii Andrieiev, Deputy Chief of the Department of the Prosecutor General’s Office, in a comment to Ukrainska Pravda

Details: The Prosecutor General’s Office has explained that in any case, the court must put an end to the history of Russia's war crimes.

Andrieiev has pointed out that to close the proceedings in connection with the death of a man, the relevant official documents confirming this fact are required, but it is not possible to obtain these documents legally due to the termination of any international relations with Russia.

In addition, the closure of the proceedings due to the death of suspects is not a rehabilitating ground, it is actual proof of guilt, Andrieiev said.

Quote: "The court must carefully examine the evidence provided by both the prosecution and the defence. The court will only decide to close the criminal proceedings if there is sufficient evidence of the person's guilt.

It is worth noting that the defence or close relatives of the deceased may file a motion for a full hearing of the case in order to rehabilitate the deceased.

And most importantly, there must be a legitimate court decision in every case, even if the accused is a Russian soldier."

Background: Under procedural guidance of the prosecutors from the Prosecutor General’s Office, an indictment against the commander of the company of the 173rd Reconnaissance Battalion of the 106th Division of the Armed Forces of Russia was sent to court. He is being accused of mistreatment of civilians, combined with premeditated murder and other violations of laws and customs of war (Art. 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). According to the investigation, he was involved in the shooting of an evacuation convoy in the town of Irpin (Kyiv Oblast). 

According to Russian media outlets, this soldier was killed in April 2022 in the war with Ukraine.

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