A court has convicted a serviceman of the russian armed forces in absentia of a war crime against residents of Bucha and sentenced him to 12 years in prison.

This was reported by the Prosecutor General's Office.

Prosecutors proved that during the occupation of Bucha the convict ordered two civilians to head into a combat area to search for the bodies of dead occupiers.

They were sent where fighting was under way. Unarmed, unprotected, under fire.

To force them to obey, the soldier threatened to kill their relatives if they refused.

The special pre-trial investigation was carried out by the Main Investigation Department of the National Police of Ukraine.

Trial in absentia makes it possible to judge an occupier hiding on russian territory. The sentence stands and takes effect the moment he is in the hands of justice.

Using civilians for military purposes is banned by the Geneva Conventions. It is a war crime with no statute of limitations.

As a reminder, the investigation into occupiers' crimes in Bucha is still under way.

Nota bene

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