Russian Court Convicts Azov Fighters Of Terrorism In Trial Kyiv Calls A 'War Crime'
The gutted Azovstal steel plant in Russian-occupied Mariupol, Ukraine, May 20, 2024.
A Russian court has convicted 23 Ukrainians who were captured in the siege of the city of Mariupol on terrorism charges and sentenced them to prison terms ranging from 13 to 23 years after a trial that Kyiv has described as a violation of international law and a "war crime."
The verdict and long prison terms came nearly two years after most of the defendants went on trial in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, near Ukraine's border, in June 2023. Eleven of the initial 24 defendants were convicted in absentia after returning to Ukraine in prisoner exchanges, and one died in custody last year.
The Last Days Of Azovstal And The Fate Of Ukraine's Mariupol Defenders
1/12A Ukrainian soldier is seen within the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works complex in Mariupol.
The last soldiers in Mariupol surrendered to Russia's forces on May 16 and have been held prisoner in territory controlled by the separatists in eastern Ukraine.
A charity exhibition recently opened in Kyiv of photographs taken by Dmytro Kozatskiy of fellow soldiers holed up in the Azovstal complex under siege in Mariupol this spring. The images have become symbolic for many in Ukraine of resistance to Russia's invasion.
2/12Many Russian and separatist officials have reserved a special animus for the Azovstal defenders, many of whom are members of the ultranationalist Azov Regiment, calling for them to face tribunals and even execution.
A charity exhibition recently opened in Kyiv of photographs taken by Dmytro Kozatskiy of fellow soldiers holed up in the Azovstal complex under siege in Mariupol this spring. The images have become symbolic for many in Ukraine of resistance to Russia's invasion.
3/12The Azov Regiment is a far-right volunteer group that has been part of Ukraine’s National Guard since 2014. Formerly a paramilitary militia known as the Azov Battalion, it espouses an ultranationalist ideology that U.S. authorities have linked with neo-Nazi extremism. But supporters see it as a patriotic and effective part of the country’s defense forces.
A charity exhibition recently opened in Kyiv of photographs taken by Dmytro Kozatskiy of fellow soldiers holed up in the Azovstal complex under siege in Mariupol this spring. The images have become symbolic for many in Ukraine of resistance to Russia's invasion.
4/12The proceeds from the exhibition of Kozatskiy's work will be used to buy equipment and weapons for the Azov Regiment.
On August 2, the regiment was declared a terrorist organization by Russia's Supreme Court, and family members fear this might mean those held prisoner could face trial as terrorists.
A charity exhibition recently opened in Kyiv of photographs taken by Dmytro Kozatskiy of fellow soldiers holed up in the Azovstal complex under siege in Mariupol this spring. The images have become symbolic for many in Ukraine of resistance to Russia's invasion.
5/12At the exhibition, Kozatskiy's mother, Iryna, said her son "wanted to convey a real picture to people. Because hearing, 'Oh, war, oh Azovstal' is one thing. And he wanted to convey what these people are, how indestructible they are. Their body is battered, the body is torn, but their soul is so luminous, shining!"
A charity exhibition recently opened in Kyiv of photographs taken by Dmytro Kozatskiy of fellow soldiers holed up in the Azovstal complex under siege in Mariupol this spring. The images have become symbolic for many in Ukraine of resistance to Russia's invasion.
6/12"He plays with those rays of light everywhere. These are already the last days. The pictures were taken in the last days before leaving Azovstal. They found those rays and they found a way out," she said.
A charity exhibition recently opened in Kyiv of photographs taken by Dmytro Kozatskiy of fellow soldiers holed up in the Azovstal complex under siege in Mariupol this spring. The images have become symbolic for many in Ukraine of resistance to Russia's invasion.
7/12After the soldiers at Azovstal were forced to surrender, Iryna says she spoke with her son several times for several minutes. The last time he called her was after the July 29 explosion at the prison in Olenivka, where dozens of Ukrainian prisoners were killed.
A charity exhibition recently opened in Kyiv of photographs taken by Dmytro Kozatskiy of fellow soldiers holed up in the Azovstal complex under siege in Mariupol this spring. The images have become symbolic for many in Ukraine of resistance to Russia's invasion.
8/12Moscow says the explosion was caused by Ukrainian forces using U.S.-supplied precision rockets. Kyiv accuses the Russians and separatists in Ukraine of orchestrating the explosion to cover up the torture and execution of prisoners at the site.
A charity exhibition recently opened in Kyiv of photographs taken by Dmytro Kozatskiy of fellow soldiers holed up in the Azovstal complex under siege in Mariupol this spring. The images have become symbolic for many in Ukraine of resistance to Russia's invasion.
9/12"On August 2, he called, said that the investigators had given him a call, and said that he was in Donetsk in a pretrial detention center," Kozatskiy's mother said. "I told him: 'Son, we are fighting for you every second with every cell. Nobody forgot about you. Don't ever think that you've been forgotten!'"
A charity exhibition recently opened in Kyiv of photographs taken by Dmytro Kozatskiy of fellow soldiers holed up in the Azovstal complex under siege in Mariupol this spring. The images have become symbolic for many in Ukraine of resistance to Russia's invasion.
A charity exhibition recently opened in Kyiv of photographs taken by Dmytro Kozatskiy of fellow soldiers holed up in the Azovstal complex under siege in Mariupol this spring. The images have become symbolic for many in Ukraine of resistance to Russia's invasion.
11/12Since the publication of the photographs, Iryna says people began to recognize her on the street. She says people come up to her, say words of support, and hug her.
A charity exhibition recently opened in Kyiv of photographs taken by Dmytro Kozatskiy of fellow soldiers holed up in the Azovstal complex under siege in Mariupol this spring. The images have become symbolic for many in Ukraine of resistance to Russia's invasion.
12/12Azov Regiment soldier and photographer Dmytro Kozatskiy, call sign "Orest."
A charity exhibition recently opened in Kyiv of photographs taken by Dmytro Kozatskiy of fellow soldiers holed up in the Azovstal complex under siege in Mariupol this spring. The images have become symbolic for many in Ukraine of resistance to Russia's invasion.
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According to Russian media reports and rights activists, the defendants included 14 current or former members of Ukraine's elite Azov Brigade, formerly known as a battalion and a regiment, which Russia has labelled a terrorist group, and nine women and one man who worked as cooks or support personnel.
The defendants were captured during Russia's bloody siege of the Azov Sea city of Mariupol months into the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Azov fighters battled Russian troops for months before around 2,500 surrendered in May 2022.
Many of them had held out at the Azovstal steel plant, whose capture cemented the Russian takeover of the ruined city.
The defendants were charged with staging a violent coup and organizing activities of a terrorist organization. Some were also charged with training to carry out terrorist activities.
In 2023, Mykhaylo Podolyak, a senior adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, wrote on Twitter that the trial amounted to "an official war crime."
A lawyer for one of the defendants said the 12 defendants who were in Russian custody would all appeal the verdicts. Acquittals and successful appeals are extremely rare in Russia.
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