Ukraine: “Just Sentence Me”
Russian rifleman has admitted to killing a Ukrainian POW, although he refuses to give evidence.
Also see
Russian Soldier Sentenced for Sexual Assault and Robbery
Perpetrator identified by survivor after he failed to log out of Google account on her stolen phone.
Russian POW Arrested for Murder
The rifleman is suspected of shooting and killing a Ukrainian soldier after he had surrendered.
A Russian soldier is on trial for the battlefield execution of a Ukrainian prisoner of war, in the first case of its kind that has come before the courts.
The accused Dmitrii Kurashov, a rifleman from the Russian army’s Storm-V assault unit who was captured in January 2024, is charged with violating the laws and customs of war. He has consistently confirmed his guilt but declined to testify.
Kurashov is being held in a pre-trial detention centre in Dnipro, having been transferred there several months following a Russian airstrike on the Bilenkivka penal colony.
“Honestly, it's all pretty much the same, except that there I have hot water for the shower,” he told an October 2 hearing in Zaporizhzhia’s Zavodskyi district court, in response to questions about his living conditions. “I can’t complain about the food. As for my inmates... well, all inmates are the same.”
He added that his cell was cold “but I’m more used to it this way, since I’m from the Urals”.
Kurashov, call sign Stalker, stands accused of executing Ukrainian soldier Vitalii Hodniuk on January 6, 2024, near the village of Novodarivka in the Zaporizhzhia region. According to investigators, Hodniuk, a member of the 226th Battalion of the 127th Separate Territorial Defence Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, was attempting to surrender. He had raised his hands and knelt down when he was shot three times with a Kalashnikov rifle. This act is a grave breach of the Geneva Conventions. If convicted, Kurashov faces life in prison.
The case has been in court for more than a year, following an indictment filed in June 2024. Since then, the court has reviewed case materials from written documents and physical exhibits in the form of video footage from the scene to investigative reports, inspection records and witness testimony.
At the October 2 hearing, prosecutor Mykyta Manevskyi filed a motion for a final 60-day extension of the defendant’s pre-trial detention pending a verdict.
“The risks remain: the accused may evade investigators and the court, destroy evidence, obstruct the case or commit new offences,” he argued. “The public interest justifies this level of infringement on the defendant’s personal rights and freedoms and is proportional to the crime.”
Kurashov, who had been composed until that point, raised his voice in an emotional outburst.
He declared he was “tired” of the repeated extensions and wanted to hear the verdict as soon as possible.
“I don’t see the f---ing point in objecting. Why the hell are you extending this? Just sentence me. I’m tired,” Kurashov said. “You’ve been trying me for a year and ten months already. I don’t get it. He just keeps extending and extending it. Can’t the process itself be sped up?”
The accused was likely referring to his total time in custody, including the pre-trial investigation. The Security Service of Ukraine first announced his detention in January 2024.
Kurashov’s lawyer and translator explained to him that only two hearings remained before the verdict.
After deliberation, the court granted the prosecution’s motion, extending Kurashov’s detention until November 30, 2025.
Investigative Re-enactment
During the court hearing, video evidence was reviewed from the site inspection where Hodniuk was executed. The footage was filmed just moments after Ukrainian forces recaptured the strategic position. Testimony was provided by three Russian POWs who served in the same unit as the accused: Oleg Zamiatin, Konstantin Zelenin and Dmitry Zuev. They, along with the accused, Kurashov, were captured in early 2024 and have been held in a pre-trial detention centre since.
Each witness participated in a recorded re-enactment. They pointed out on maps and diagrams the positions of Kurashov, slain soldier Hodniuk and themselves during the assault on January 6, 2024.
The location was the Vovk (Wolf) dugout near the villages of Novodarivka and Pryiutne in the Zaporizhzhia region. These reconstructions helped visualise the events, as no direct drone footage of the execution exists. Hodniuk's body was not found until two months later.
In the video, witnesses pointed out their positions relative to the dugout from which Hodniuk emerged with his hands raised. They all confirmed hearing shots from their right – the sector occupied at that moment by only Kurashov.
“Besides him [Kurashov], there was no one else in our line of sight,” Zelenin explained in the video.
Prosecutor Manevskyi told reporters that the testimony had been cross-referenced and matched with drone footage. According to the prosecutor, Kurashov had the right to cross-examine the witnesses, but declined to do so.
As a video of testimony from his former comrades was played, Kurashov watched intently.
When the judge asked if he pleaded guilty, Kurashov answered, “Yes, I admit it.”
This reiterated his position from previous hearings, where he had also admitted guilt but refused to testify.
“Nothing has changed at this point. I do not want to testify,” he confirmed. Separately, Kurashov said that it was his expectation that he would be exchanged after any conviction.
The court concluded its review of the prosecution’s evidence and adjourned to allow for preparation for closing arguments.
The prosecution’s position remains unchanged: they argue this is a war crime that, they insist, must carry the harshest possible punishment.
“Despite all the hurdles, we have finally reached the concluding stage of this trial,” said Manevskyi told IWPR. “The prosecution has submitted all the evidence it deemed necessary and we believe it is sufficient to secure a just verdict in this case. This case is particularly significant because it involves a captured Russian serviceman being held accountable for a very serious crime.”
He argued that Kurashov had admitted his guilt “more as a defence strategy than a sign of sincere remorse,” adding, “Our final sentencing recommendation is still being coordinated, but in my opinion, we will be pushing for a life sentence.”
The next court hearing, which will include closing arguments, is scheduled for October 20.
