Donetsk, Dec 19 — DAN. The Donetsk People’s Republic Supreme Court has given a long prison term to a Ukrainian marine who opened fire at a vehicle carrying civilians in Mariupol last year, Russia’s Investigative Committee (SK) reported on Tuesday.
The Court said that the evidence gathered by the SK was sufficient to pass a guilty verdict on Ukrainian marine Andrey Khristofovich, the report said. Khristofovich was found guilty of cruel treatment of civilians, use of banned means and methods in armed conflict, hate murder and malicious damage to property.
In March 2022, the marine who was manning a fire position in the outskirts of Mariupol saw a car with white ribbons, a sign of non-combatants. He reported it to his commander who ordered to shoot and kill “the pro-Russian civilians.” Obeying the order Khristofovich fired at least 20 machine gun rounds killing the driver and destroying the vehicle, the investigator said.
The marine was sentenced to 25 years in a maximum security prison. The investigation into the case against his commander who issued the unlawful order is ongoing.
Earlier, a Ukrainian gunman was convicted in absentia in the DPR for issuing the order in the beginning of the special military operation to fire at Donbass settlements.*jk