Three Ukrainian teenagers convicted on terrorism charges in Russia
According to Ukrinform, Bring Kids Back UA reported this on Facebook.
The Ukrainian children were tried as citizens of the Russian Federation.
"On March 19, 2026, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don handed down a verdict to three teenagers from the temporarily occupied city of Melitopol. At the time of their detention in the fall of 2023, the boys were only 16–17 years old," the statement reads.
As noted, Viktor Azarovsky was sentenced to 8 years and 6 months in prison, Oleh Shokol to 7 years and 6 months, and Denys Vasylyk to 7 years.
For over two years, they were illegally held in inadequate conditions and subjected to beatings, torture, and psychological pressure. They were transferred between detention facilities—including Pretrial Detention Center No. 2 in Mariupol and Pretrial Detention Center No. 2 in Taganrog, known for its brutal treatment of Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war.
In Taganrog, according to Viktor Azarovsky’s lawyer, he began experiencing serious health problems: he could not sleep or eat, and the skin on his hands was covered in wounds.
As reported by Bring Kids Back UA, despite the illegal transfer of the teenagers from the occupied territory and the dubious nature of the evidence, Russia charged them with serious offenses. The trial was held behind closed doors—without access for independent observers or international organizations.
“This is not justice. This is the persecution of children and a war crime,” Bring Kids Back UA emphasized.
Russia systematically uses unlawful detentions, torture, and trials as a tool to pressure Ukrainian children, violating the norms of international humanitarian law, noted Bring Kids Back UA.
“That is why the return of every Ukrainian child remains an unconditional priority for Ukraine,” stated Bring Kids Back UA.
As reported by Ukrinform, in Russia, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don handed down sentences to three Ukrainian prisoners of war from the Azov Brigade on charges of terrorism.
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