A Ukrainian court has sentenced Russian soldier Dmitry Kurashov, 27, to life imprisonment for murdering a surrendered Ukrainian prisoner of war — the first such verdict since Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Kurashov was found guilty of shooting dead 41-year-old Vitalii Hodniuk, an unarmed Ukrainian soldier who had surrendered during fighting in Zaporizhzhia in January 2024. Prosecutors said video evidence and witness testimony confirmed Kurashov executed the POW on orders from commanders who told troops not to take Ukrainians captive.
Captured later by Ukrainian forces, Kurashov initially pleaded guilty before retracting his confession, blaming a Russian medic who later died. However, fellow Russian soldiers testified that Kurashov was the only person near Hodniuk when shots were fired.
The court ruled that Kurashov showed “no remorse” and committed a clear war crime. His lawyer claimed he was following orders and expressed “repentance.”
Kurashov told the BBC earlier that he had joined Russia’s Storm V penal unit in exchange for release from a prison sentence for theft. Such units, composed of convicts, are often used in high-risk “meat grinder” assaults.
Ukraine’s intelligence agency says it has documented over 150 executions of POWs by Russian troops since 2022, describing the killings as part of a broader policy. Russian forces deny the allegations.
