“Basement of death” in Yahidne: Appeal upholds sentence against Russian commander

According to Ukrinform, the Office of the Prosecutor General reported this.

"Prosecutors from the Chernihiv Regional Prosecutor's Office upheld the sentence of the commander of the combined unit who ordered the detention of civilians in the basement of a school in the village of Yahidne, Chernihiv district. He was found guilty in absentia of giving orders to brutally treat civilians and violating the laws and customs of war (Part 2 of Article 28, Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine)," the statement said.

The Court of Appeal upheld the sentence of the court of first instance — 12 years in prison.

The prosecutor proved in court that the captain of the Russian Armed Forces, call sign “Klen,” while in the temporarily occupied village of Yahidne in the Chernihiv region, ordered his subordinates to hold 369 people in the basement of a school, 69 of whom were minors.

“Knowing that the Armed Forces of Ukraine would not attack a building where peaceful Ukrainian citizens were located, the occupiers used our people as a ‘human shield’ to cover their command post,” the Office of the Prosecutor General commented.

As reported, on March 3, 2022, Russian invaders entered Yahidne in the Chernihiv region. They drove residents out of their homes and herded them into a school basement. In total, Russian troops are holding 367 people in the 197 sq. m school basement, including 50 children and several infants, the youngest of whom is one and a half months old. Eleven residents of the village died, unable to withstand the inhumane conditions, and the invaders shot another 10.

Archive photos: Ukrinform

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