One of two Russian tried because war criminals said he wanted conflict Ukraine end and that invasion by Vladimir Putin was a “failure.”
26-year-old Alexander Bobykin and 21-year-old Alexander Ivanov were in the artillery unit, which fired at least 38 rockets at civilians in February and destroyed the school.
They were sentenced to 12 years in prison each on Tuesday (May 30) in the Katsyalevsky District Court of Poltava Region.
Last week, both servicemen, who were listening to the verdict while standing in a reinforced glass box in a court in central Ukraine, pleaded guilty.
“The guilt of Bobikin and Ivanov is fully proven,” Judge Yauhen Balybok said, standing in front of the Ukrainian flag.
The pair’s unit fired “Hail” missiles in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine from Belgorod Russia.
Two men, described respectively as an artillery driver and a gunner, were captured after crossing the border.
After the verdict, they were asked if they thought the verdict was fair, and they both said yes.
Bobykin reportedly said: “I want to switch to the Ukrainian military. Putin must stop the war now. This is a mistake. War is a failure. I am satisfied with my conditions in prison. My family knows I’m here. I changed my mind about what I did. My verdict is true. “
Asked if Putin had failed, he said yes.
(Image: SPUTNIK / AFP via Getty Images)
The verdicts were welcomed by the Kharkiv authorities, which are currently investigating more than 1,000 war crimes.
On May 23, a Ukrainian court sentenced a Russian serviceman to life in prison for killing an unarmed civilian.
Russia denies targeting civilians or involvement in war crimes if it conducts a so-called “special military operation” in Ukraine.
A legal source reportedly said yesterday after the verdict: “This sends a harsh message that we are thoroughly investigating the barbaric actions for which the Russians are responsible. Their soldiers fired, killed and raped them and thought they would get away with it. “
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