Russian soldiers Konstantin Smirnov and Denis Podgorny received in absentia sentences for their brutal treatment of civilians.

The Repkinsky District Court in the Chernihiv region found two Russian servicemen, Konstantin Smirnov and Denis Podgorny, guilty of violating the laws and customs of war and sentenced each to 12 years in prison in absentia.

This was reported by ZMINA, citing a court ruling.

The investigation revealed that Russian servicemen Smirnov and Podgorny, as part of the federal National Guard troops group "Center" of the Russian Armed Forces, occupied the villages of Dovzhik and Vysneve in Chernihiv region from February to April 2022.

From February to March, they organized a torture chamber in a sawmill in the village of Vysneve, where illegally detained civilians and prisoners of war were held. The facilities were unsuitable for human habitation due to a lack of water supply and drainage, furniture, sanitary conditions, and cooking facilities. The captives were continuously tortured, beaten, and subjected to humiliation, being interrogated about the Ukrainian Armed Forces, participants in the ATO/JFO, spotters, etc.

Victims' testimonies revealed the abuse endured by prisoners during interrogations at the sawmill.

In particular, on March 13, 2022, in the village of Dovzhik, the Russians fired upon a vehicle, forcibly bringing an injured driver with shrapnel in his thigh to the sawmill, where he was tortured for several days. Subsequently, Smirnov, who had the call sign "Law," forced the man to record a video thanking the Russians, assuring locals that they were not in danger. Three days later, during an interrogation, Smirnov ordered the man to be beaten, and Podgorny complied with the order, striking him in the chest with a rifle butt and pressing the barrel against his festering wound. The beaten and wounded man was later taken to the outskirts of the village of Repki and left to fend for himself.

Another victim, the head of the Zamhlai elder's district, was captured while attempting to speak with the occupiers. The man was beaten and interrogated to reveal the channel of information transfer to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. It was this elder who later recognized "Law" by the red patch on his arm with the hammer and sickle. He was also able to see part of his face.

In addition to civilians, the Russians tortured a prisoner of war who, during the trial, stated that on March 10, he, injured, ended up in the village of Sloboda, where a local resident turned him over to the occupiers. He was beaten and held for several days, and then the Russians threw the victim and two other prisoners of war into a truck. They arrived in Vysneve at night, where the officer was immediately shot, and the two soldiers began to be beaten.

By Smirnov's order and with his direct participation, the torture lasted for about six hours. The prisoners were beaten, raped, and denied food and water. The injured prisoner of war had shrapnel in his head, and part of his jaw was protruding from his cheek, but Smirnov prohibited any medical assistance. After the torture, the prisoner had his hands tied with a strap and was hung on rebar at the entrance for several days.

Eventually, one of the Russians took him out and released him.

The interrogations, as witnesses stated, were superficial, leading to the assumption that the Russians were merely torturing them.

We remind you that earlier, the Chernihiv District Court sentenced Konstantin Smirnov and Denis Podgorny to life imprisonment for the torture and murder of the Kulichenko brothers.