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March 20, 2026, noon
The case of the Russians who seized the crew of the Sapphire vessel has been sent to court
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PHOTO: Odesa Regional Prosecutor's Office
The Odesa Regional Prosecutor's Office has sent to court an indictment against the former first deputy commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, as well as the commanders of the Russian ships Equator and Shakhtar.
This was reported by the press service of the regional prosecutor's office.
Prosecutors are charging three servicemen of the enemy fleet with committing war crimes by prior conspiracy by a group of persons. The indictment will be considered in court in a special court proceeding.
According to the investigation, on February 26, 2022, during a full-scale invasion, the Russian military illegally imprisoned the civilian crew of the search and rescue vessel Sapphire, which was carrying out a humanitarian mission near Zmeinyi Island in the maritime zone of Ukraine.
This vessel belongs to the Maritime Search and Rescue Service of Ukraine and was used exclusively for humanitarian tasks. Only civilians were on board at the time: 17 crew members and 4 other civilians involved (including a doctor and a clergyman). All were detained and illegally imprisoned.
After the seizure of the Sapphire, the Vice Admiral personally arrived on the temporarily occupied Zmeinyi Island. He interrogated the ship's captain, seeking possible cooperation with the Ukrainian military and the SBU. He was aware of the humanitarian nature of the mission, but did not cancel the illegal detention of the civilian crew.
Subsequently, the crew members were kept under the control of the Russian military, restricted in their movements, interrogated and searched, accompanied by threats and demonstrations of weapons. The vessel was forcibly moved to the temporarily occupied Crimea, and the civilian crew was taken to Russia. It was only in March-May 2022 that the people were released as part of the exchange. Subsequently, the military and political leadership of the aggressor state promoted the military officer who ordered the detention of the Sapphire to the Commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Admiral of the Russian Federation.
