Kyiv opens politically charged trial of Russian troops
Troops captured the two men, both of whom were wounded, in May and interrogated them, broadcasting their alleged confessions in which they said they were active members of a Russian military intelligence unit operating in Ukraine.
But Moscow claims the two — Captain Yevgeny Yerofeyev and Sergeant Aleksander Aleksandrov — are “volunteers”: retired servicemen who joined pro-Russian militias fighting in Ukraine’s separatist east since early last year.
After being treated for their injuries, the two soldiers were then transferred to pre-trial detention on charges of “terrorism” and waging an “aggressive war” against Ukraine.
Prosecutors are seeking to have them jailed for life, their lawyer said.
“We will do everything to make sure that our citizens return home as soon as possible and get a chance to see their relatives and friends,” Russian consul Alexei Gruby told reporters.
Sitting in the defendants’ cage at Kyiv district court as the charges were read out, both looked healthy although Yerofeyev’s arm was still bandaged following an injury sustained during the gun battle which led to their capture in the industrial province of Lugansk.
“No one left us abandoned. We remain in contact with our family,” Yerofeyev told reporters during a brief break in the preliminary hearings.