Following the evidence collected by SSU and National Police, russian soldier who shot a Ukrainian prisoner of war in Zaporizhzhia region was sentenced to life imprisonment.

It is the first sentence in Ukraine's history when an occupier received such a term specifically for shooting a soldier of the Defence Forces.

The investigation established that the convicted person is 27-year-old russian citizen Dmytro Kurashov. Previously, he served a sentence in a russian prison for theft, and in November 2023, signed a contract with the russian Ministry of Defence in return for amnesty.

Within the ranks of the enemy army, he was serving as a rifleman in the Storm-V assault unit of the 127th Motorised Rifle Division of the Eastern Military District of the russian federation.

According to the case file, on 6 January 2024, Kurashov, together with other occupiers, attacked Ukrainian defenders in the area of Pryiutne village.

During the assault, the russian soldier shot at point-blank range a Ukrainian soldier who had surrendered during the battle after using up all his ammunition to repel the enemy attack.

It has been established that Kurashov made aimed shots at the Ukrainian soldier using Kalashnikov assault rifle.

The Ukrainian soldier died on site as a result of received injuries.

On the same day, the Defence Forces knocked the occupiers out of these positions and captured Kurashov and four of his comrades as the only survivors.

Following the evidence collected by the SSU military counterintelligence officers and investigators, the court found russian citizen guilty under Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (war crimes).

The investigation was conducted under the procedural supervision of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Prosecutor's Office.