Ukraine responds to sentences handed down to prisoners: Zelensky signs sanctions against Russian judges
10 March 17:38
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed decrees imposing sanctions on judges involved in the unlawful conviction of Ukrainian prisoners of war.
This was reported by the press service of the Office of the President of Ukraine, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
The restrictions affected dozens of judges who participated in sentencing Ukrainian military personnel in Russia and the occupied territories.
Who is subject to sanctions
Sanctions have been imposed on 41 judges:
- 38 Russian citizens;
- 3 collaborators working in Russian-created courts in the occupied territories.
According to the Ukrainian authorities, these judges:
- have handed down illegal sentences to Ukrainian prisoners of war;
- support and justify the Russian Federation’s war against Ukraine.
In particular, one of the Russian judges sentenced nine Ukrainian prisoners in one week in fabricated terrorism cases.
The sanctions list also includes former Ukrainian citizens who work in the so-called courts of occupied Donetsk.
They sentenced three foreign volunteers who fought on the side of Ukraine to death:
- two British citizens;
- one Moroccan citizen.
All of them served in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and were captured by Russia.
Persecution of activists and journalists
According to Ukrainian authorities, some of the sanctioned judges also ruled against:
- public figures;
- activists;
- journalists.
These are cases related to their political or religious beliefs.
Sanctions also extended to Russian companies
In a separate decree, Volodymyr Zelensky extended sanctions against 11 Russian companies, introduced in 2021 and 2023.
During this time, three companies from the list have been liquidated, but the rest remain under restrictions.
Among the companies on the list are:
- an aircraft repair and maintenance company, specializing in Ka and Mi helicopters;
- a manufacturer of unmanned aerial vehicles;
- companies that operated in occupied Crimea and were involved in the construction of Crimean bridges.
