Former Mykolaiv Police Officer Sentenced to 2 Years for Double Murder at Front

A former police officer from Mykolaiv region has been put on trial for a double murder at the front. He was sentenced to 2 years in prison, but was immediately released from custody.

The Zhovtnevyi District Court of Dnipro found a serviceman - a former chief of criminal police from Mykolaiv region - guilty of murdering two deserters, but instead of a long prison sentence, he was sentenced to only 2 years in prison. Since the defendant had already served this term in custody, he was released right out of the courtroom.

According to the Court Reporter, the events took place on May 30, 2022, near Sievierodonetsk. Two soldiers left their combat position, refused to follow the order of the sergeant and went to the village, where they began to drink alcohol. While intoxicated, they opened fire on their own positions from the rear. This jeopardized the safety of their comrades.

The company commander declared them deserters and allowed them to use weapons in case of resistance. In the evening of the same day, when the deserters returned, the chief sergeant and his comrades tried to detain them. One of the offenders filmed the incident. For several minutes, the recording shows calls to lay down their arms, warnings, and even shots in the air. But one of the deserters suddenly rushed to his weapon. The sergeant shot him twice in the chest. The other, with his hands tied, also rushed forward and was shot dead.

After that, the position of the Ukrainian military was covered by enemy artillery fire, presumably caused by the sounds of shooting, which revealed their location.

The accused is a combat sergeant, holder of the Order "For Courage" of the III degree, with experience in the ATO. He did not recognize the murders as premeditated, claiming that he was acting in accordance with an order to detain deserters and fired to prevent the seizure of weapons. The court, however, believes that the sergeant exceeded the measures necessary for the detention. Taking into account his service, combat experience and characteristics, the punishment was determined to be lenient.

It is known that the man previously served in the police. He worked in senior positions in the Pervomaisk police department of Mykolaiv region. He was dismissed from the service due to a corruption scandal - he forced a drug addicted woman to buy him things using his official position. In 2016, he was sentenced to 5 years' probation with a suspended sentence. After that, he volunteered for the war.

Ірина Глухова