Russian Soldier Faces Trial for Murder of Ukrainian POW

Viktoriia Mankovska in Ukraine

Journalist

Friday, 31 January, 2025

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A Russian soldier is on trial in Zaporizhzhia for the murder of a Ukrainian prisoner of war (POW), marking the first time that a defendant accused of this crime has been present in court. Previous trials addressing similar cases have been held only in absentia.

Dmitry Kurashov, 26, is charged with executing Ukrainian POW Vitalii Hodniuk. During pre-trial proceedings, Kurashov denied having killed Hodniuk. He later pleaded guilty during court hearings, only to subsequently claim innocence once more.

Kurashov, who uses the call sign Stalker, was captured by Ukrainian forces in early near Zaporizhzhia in late January 2024. He lost his left eye during the battle.

He told the court he was born in Gremiachinsk, in the Perm region of the Russian Federation. He attended school until the ninth grade, but did not graduate, and has a criminal record that includes theft and assaulting a police officer.

The prosecution alleges that on the morning of January 6, 2024, Russian servicemen from the Storm-V detachment, including Kurashov, attacked Ukrainian positions near Pryiutne village, in the Polohy district of the Zaporizhzhia region. These positions were held by soldiers of the 127th Brigade of Territorial Defence. After the Russians captured this location, 41-year-old Ukrainian serviceman Vitalii Hodniuk, according to the prosecution, “realising the impossibility of further resistance to superior enemy forces,” laid down his weapons, raised his hands and left the dugout.

At Kurashov's request, Hodniuk knelt down. However, Kurashov then fired at least three targeted shots, killing Hodniuk on the spot, according to the case files.

The Ukrainian armed forces soon retook the positions and captured several Russian storm troopers, including Kurashov and Oleg Zamiatin, Konstantin Zelenin and Dmitry Zuev who all witnessed the alleged murder. Kurashov was charged with violating the laws and customs of war, combined with intentional murder.

Russian Soldiers Testify

Zaporizhzhia regional prosecutor Mykyta Manevskyi, a defence attorney from the Centre for Free Legal Aid and an interpreter were present at the hearing. The defence lawyer asked not to be idenitifed for security reasons.

Kurashov was escorted to the courtroom. The victims were not present, having notified the court beforehand.

The Russian POWs were also brought in to testify, but were questioned in a separate room. The presiding judge explained that it was not permissible for witnesses and the accused to be in the same room.

The judges, prosecutor and attorney questioned the witnesses through an interpreter in the main courtroom, and the Russian servicemen' responses were displayed on screens.

The first witness, Russian serviceman Zamiatin, testified that he had seen the Ukrainian soldier Hodniuk before his death.

“After the debarkation, I saw a Ukrainian [soldier] come out,” he told the court. “Then I heard a submachine gun burst. The body fell. There was an explosion behind me, and I lost consciousness.”

Zamiatin said that only he and “Stalker” were near the Ukrainian servicemen's dugout. When Judge Olha Pohribna asked for clarification on Hodniuk's position, Zamiatin replied that he could not remember as it had been a long time ago.

“Did the Ukrainian serviceman have any weapons in his hands?” prosecutor Manevskyi asked.

“No. The only thing I remember is that he had a Ukrainian flag on his sleeve,” Zamiatin said.

“Did you see Kurashov shoot at the Ukrainian serviceman?” the judge continued.

“I can't say for sure it was him. But there was no one else there,” the witness responded.

Zamiatin also said that Kurashov was standing to his right, and it was from that direction that he had heard the shots.

Russian soldier Zelenin was next to testify in court. He said that three groups participated in the January 6 assault. Zelenin was the commander of the third group, which consisted of six soldiers including Kurashov. The group attacked the centre of the Ukrainian positions, while the other two groups approached from the right and left.

When the group crossed the barbed wire, they came under fire. Zelenin hid in a bomb crater and saw Hodniuk come out of the first dugout with his hands up. A few seconds later, the witness heard submachine gun fire, and the prisoner fell.

“When the body fell, I saw that Stalker was on my right. He was alone in my field of vision. There was no one else nearby,” Zelenin said.

The witness said that when he reached the first dugout, he saw the unarmed Ukrainian POW lying there.

“Do you think anyone other than Stalker could have done this?” the prosecutor asked.

“No, only him,” Zelenin replied.

“Do you know a serviceman with the call sign “Sedoi”? the prosecutor inquired.

“Yes, but I didn't see him on the battlefield, because he came from the other flank,” Zelenin replied.

The prosecutor later stated that at a November 1 hearing Kurashov had alleged that combat medic Sergei Kuchimov, with the call sign "Sedoi", shot at Hodniuk.

Zelenin noted that Kuchimov participated in the assault as part of another group, placing him further away from the location where the Ukrainian fighter was executed.

Dmitry Zuev, the third witness, also said that he did not see Kuchimov nearby at the time of the shooting.

“I was told he was gone. But I don't know how,” Zuev said.

Zuev also said that he personally saw Kurashov ordering the Ukrainian serviceman to leave a dugout and then shooting him when he surrendered.

“Kurashov said, 'Come out! Surrender!' The Ukrainian soldier emerged from the dugout with his hands up and knelt down. Just moments before, “Stalker” had thrown grenades into the dugout,” he said.

“What was the Ukrainian serviceman's condition?” the judge asked.

“He dropped his rifle, came out with his hands raised, knelt and then he fell,” the witness responded. “He was wearing a Ukrainian blue and yellow badge.

During the interrogation, Zuev also said that Kurashov had taken a watch from Hodniuk’s body.

None of the witnesses claimed to have discussed the execution with Kurashov. However, Zelenin reported that while in the pre-trial detention centre, the accused had boasted to other inmates about shooting the Ukrainian POW.

The witnesses testified that Kurashov did not use his own weapon. Before the assault, he was given an assault rifle of a serviceman with the call sign “Sufii”. According to statements from Russian POWs, Sufii had been hospitalised with a broken leg at the time. His call sign was reportedly scrawled on the rifle's handle.

Unique Case

Kurashov did not question the witnesses or offer any comments during the court session.

Following the hearing, one of the journalists asked the accused, “Do you agree with the testimony given today?”

“No, I don't agree. I won't comment further,” Kurashov responded.

Prosecutor Manevskyi told the court that while there had many instances in which Russian soldiers summarily executed Ukrainian POWs, this was the first case to be tried in court with the accused present.

He emphasised that warring parties were obliged to adhere to the laws of war, particularly the norms of humane treatment of prisoners.

“While this is the ideal, in practice, it is sadly rare,” Manevskyi said.

“Investigating similar cases presents significant challenges,” he continued. “It's rare for a serviceman involved in an execution to be captured immediately. This makes the case of Dmitry Kurashov unique. Reconstructing the events during a battle is also difficult as there is usually no access to the crime scene, and witnesses may have differing perceptions of what occurred.”

Despite the difficulties in establishing details, the prosecutor stressed the importance of pursuing justice in such cases.

“As the opposing side largely ignores these crimes, we are the ones who react,” he declared.

If found guilty, Kurashov faces 10 to 15 years in prison or a life sentence.