Commissioner from Yalta to be tried for forced conscription of criminals into the Russian army

The commissioner from Yalta is accused of forcibly mobilizing criminals into the Russian army and faces up to 12 years in prison. Similar cases are already being considered against other commissioners - some of them have already been convicted.

This was reported by the press service of the Prosecutor's Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.

Law enforcers have submitted to the court an indictment against the occupation military commissar of Yalta, who is accused of violating the laws and customs of war under Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine with a maximum sentence of 12 years in prison.

According to the investigation, in 2015, the accused took up the position of the so-called military commissar of Yalta in the temporarily occupied Crimea, and from 2015 to 2019 he was the deputy head of the "conscription commission" of the Yalta city district.

Despite the norms of international humanitarian law, he directly supported the policy of the aggressor state by forcibly mobilizing Ukrainian civilians on the peninsula to the Russian armed forces.

According to the press service of the prosecutor's office, such actions contradict Article 147 of the Geneva Convention of 1949, which prohibits forcing persons protected by international law to serve in the armed forces of the occupying power.

It was also noted that two other "military commissars" from the peninsula have already been convicted of similar crimes under public prosecution by the prosecutors of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, and four more indictments are currently being considered in courts.

Recently, juvenile prosecutors of the Kherson Regional Prosecutor's Office filed an indictment against a 28-year-old Russian citizen accused of militarizing Ukrainian children through his participation in the so-called "Yunarmiya". The accused organized the activities of this pseudo-organization, established ties with illegal occupation structures and involved local youth in its activities. During public events in schools, he promoted the idea of serving in the army of the aggressor country.

In the annexed Crimea, students are forced to participate in military training conducted by Russian militants. As of April 2025, there were 260 cadet classes on the peninsula. In addition, there are 16 Cossack classes. In total, more than 6,000 children receive military training in schools.

Анна Бальчінос