A court in the Kherson region has sentenced a high-ranking official of the occupying forces for torture

A former member of the Russian State Duma and current senator representing the occupation administration of the Kherson region has been convicted of a war crime committed during the seizure of part of the region. The court found it proven that he participated in the torture of a local teacher.

This was reported by the Center for Public Investigations.

The case involves Igor Kastyukevich, who, after serving in the Russian State Duma, was appointed a senator by the administration established by the occupiers in the Kherson region. The investigation established that the events took place in September 2022 in the temporarily occupied town of Velyka Lepetykha.

According to the case file, on September 2, Russian soldiers broke into the home of a physical education teacher and leader of tourism clubs. After searching the man, they beat him, accused him of allegedly embezzling school property, and forcibly took him to the premises of the occupation administration. There, a Russian official with the call sign “Navigator” joined the interrogation.

During the interrogation, he demanded that the victim state his position on the Russian occupation. Not receiving the desired answers, he threatened the man with a weapon, holding a pistol to his head. Subsequently, as the court established, the interrogation was accompanied by physical and psychological violence: the victim was beaten with the butts of assault rifles, threatened with a knife, subjected to a mock execution, and forced to confess to imaginary crimes.

After the torture, the Russian official ordered the man to be taken into custody. He was transported to a seized police station, where he was held for three days without any legal basis, access to a lawyer, or medical care. The conditions of detention were extremely harsh—lacking proper hygiene, furniture, adequate food, and water.

In court, the victim stated that after the occupation, he refused to work at the school under Russian rules, which brought him to the attention of the invaders. According to him, it was “Navigator” who led the interrogation, personally threatened him, and decided to keep him in the cell.

His testimony was confirmed by his wife. She witnessed the arrival of Russian soldiers at their home, heard her husband being beaten during the search, and later found out where he was being held. After his release, the family left the occupied territory, fearing further persecution.

By court decision, Kastukevich was found guilty of violating the laws and customs of war. For this crime, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison. At the same time, taking into account his previous conviction for violating Ukraine’s territorial integrity, his final sentence was 15 years in prison with the confiscation of all his property.

Also in the Kherson region, the case of a Russian serviceman accused of torturing and illegally detaining a civilian during the occupation of the region was referred to court. According to the investigation, the man personally participated in interrogations involving the use of violence.

Анна Бальчінос