Destroys Educational Facilities: Two Russian Soldiers Convicted Of War Crimes, Sentenced To Jail

Illustration of Russian soldiers in Ukraine. (Wikimedia Common/Mil.ru)

JAKARTA - A Ukrainian court sentenced two Russian soldiers detained for war crimes to prison terms, with the judge's verdict lower than prosecutors demanded on Tuesday.

Two Russian soldiers were sentenced to 11.5 years in prison for shooting at a city in eastern Ukraine. This is the second war crimes conviction since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24.

The soldiers, identified as Alexander Bobikin and Alexander Ivanov, who heard the verdict stand in a reinforced glass case, during a trial at the Kotelevska District Court, central Ukraine.

"Bobikin and Ivanov's guilt has been completely proven," said Judge Evehen Bolybok.

Last week, the two admitted to being part of a Russian artillery unit that fired on targets in Ukraine's Kharkiv region. Meanwhile, the shooting was carried out from the Belgorod region in Russia.

Prosecutors said the shooting destroyed educational facilities in the city of Derhachi, but caused no casualties. Bobikin and Ivanov, described as artillery drivers and gunners, were arrested after crossing the border and continuing to fire.

During the trial, prosecutors asked the court to jail the Russian serviceman for 12 years. Meanwhile, the defense requested leniency, saying the two soldiers had followed orders and repented.

Previously, both Ivanov and Bobikin had pleaded guilty to the shooting carried out by his unit, hoping not to be sentenced to the maximum sentence by the court.

"I am completely guilty of the crimes I am accused of. We fired on Ukraine from Russia," Bobikin told the court in a live broadcast of the trial.

Asking not to be given the maximum prison sentence, Ivanov said: "I repent and ask for a reduced sentence."

It is known, prior to this verdict, a Ukrainian court sentenced a Russian soldier to life in prison last week for killing an unarmed civilian.

Russia says it has no information about the trial and that the absence of a diplomatic mission in Ukraine limits its ability to provide assistance.