Five Ukrainian POWs Sentenced in Russia for Alleged Terrorism

On March 14, 2026, the Second Western District Military Court in Moscow handed down sentences to the five POWs, classifying their actions as a terrorist attack under Russian law. According to reports, the soldier Oleksandr Harbuz, aged 53 and a member of Ukraine's 129th Territorial Defense Brigade, received the longest sentence of 18 years.

He was captured on July 23, 2025, and was accused of planting mines in the Sudzha district in October 2024. Russian investigative authorities assert that these operations posed significant risks to their national security.

Volodymyr Koshmela, part of the 25th Assault Battalion and captured on January 24, 2025, was sentenced to 17 years. Prosecutors claimed he gathered intelligence on Russian troop positions in the Sudzha area and participated in the blockade of the village of Guyevo between December 2024 and January 2025.

The court's proceedings have drawn criticism from various human rights organizations, which argue that the trials of POWs do not meet international legal standards. Two other servicemen, Serhii Mekhonoshyn from the 17th Mechanized Brigade and Mykola Cheban of the 255th Assault Battalion, were each sentenced to 16 years.

They were accused of entering the Glushkovo district in May 2025, where Cheban allegedly took up a combat position in an armored vehicle, leading to his capture on June 9, 2025. Oleksandr Sychuhov from the 33rd Assault Regiment received a 15-year sentence for participating in military actions starting April 19, 2025, near the village of Tyotkino.

He has remained in Russian custody since May 31, 2025. These sentencing actions reflect a continued pattern of judicial measures by Russian authorities against captured Ukrainian personnel, substantiating claims from human rights advocates about the treatment of POWs in the context of the ongoing conflict.

The same court previously sentenced another Ukrainian, Volodymyr Parafilo, to life imprisonment for actions related to the Kursk region. Such decisions raise questions about the legal frameworks applicable to conflict and underscore the humanitarian implications for POWs caught in the crossfire of the war between Ukraine and Russia.