Project names 49 Russian military judges in 'Book of Executioners of the Ukrainian People'
The 'Book of Executioners of the Ukrainian People' project has published the names of 49 Russian military judges it identifies as having issued fabricated convictions against Ukrainian citizens, including prisoners of war, since 2022. The list includes 26 judges from the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don and 23 from the 2nd Western District Military Court, with at least 150 cases still pending.
Key points
- 49 Russian military judges named by the 'Book of Executioners of the Ukrainian People' project
- 26 judges from the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don; 23 from the 2nd Western District Military Court
- Named judges from the Southern District Military Court issued at least 128 guilty verdicts since August 2022; the 2nd Western District Military Court judges convicted 224 Ukrainians
- Most convictions under Russian Criminal Code Articles 205.3 ('training for terrorist activity') and 205.4 ('participation in a terrorist community')
- Typical sentences of 13 and 18 years; life imprisonment in individual cases
- At least 150 cases remained pending before the named judges at publication time
- Project says hearings consisted of two ~30-minute formal episodes, with no substantive defense or evidence examination
Why it matters
By publishing individual names with identification data and analyzed case materials, the project creates a documented basis for future accountability efforts. It also draws attention to a pattern in which proceedings against Ukrainians inside Russia appear to be formalities, raising serious rule-of-law concerns and connecting those convictions to systematic torture during pre-trial detention. The fact that at least 150 more cases were still pending before these judges at the time of publication indicates the practice is ongoing.
What happened
The 'Book of Executioners of the Ukrainian People' project released a list of 49 Russian military judges it says were involved in fabricating verdicts against Ukrainian citizens since 2022. The published material names 26 judges of the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don, who are linked to at least 128 guilty verdicts since August 2022, and 23 judges of the 2nd Western District Military Court, who are linked to 224 convictions. According to the project, at least 150 cases remained in the proceedings of these named judges at the time of publication.
The project reports that Ukrainians are most often convicted under Articles 205.3 ('undergoing training for the purpose of terrorist activity') and 205.4 ('participation in a terrorist community') of the Russian Criminal Code, and that the vast majority of defenders of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol were tried under those provisions. Typical sentences reported are 13 and 18 years of imprisonment, with life imprisonment in individual cases. The Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don has issued convictions in 436 cases against Ukrainian citizens since 2022 overall, the project says; the 2nd Western District Military Court is credited with 224.
The project describes the hearings as consisting of two brief formal episodes — reading the indictment and reading the verdict — with no substantive examination of evidence, interrogation of witnesses, or full defense. According to testimonies from Ukrainian military personnel released from captivity that the project cites, the fabrication of cases during multi-hour pre-trial interrogations was accompanied by systematic torture: electric shocks, beatings, mock executions, sexual violence, and other forms. About 30% of the use of force was, by the released prisoners' estimate, aimed at extracting specific 'confessions,' with the rest described as intimidation and preparation for talks with investigators. The project also reports that, once the main pre-trial stage ended, prisoners tried in the Southern District Military Court were transferred to SIZO No. 1 in Rostov-on-Don under less harsh conditions to conceal traces of torture before court appearances.
The published list identifies individual judges with the number of Ukrainian citizens they are said to have convicted, marking some entries as having data still being clarified. Examples given in the materials include judges of the Southern District Military Court such as Massin and Morozov, each linked to 17 guilty verdicts, Kakadayev (15), Zubov and Kryvosheiev (12 each), and Vladimirov, Drugachenko, and Kiforenko (11 each), among others.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian outlets covering the publication frame it as a documentation effort by the 'Book of Executioners of the Ukrainian People' project, portraying the named judges as perpetrators of fabricated verdicts and emphasising the systematic nature of the convictions. The coverage highlights defenders of Azovstal and Ukrainian prisoners of war as the principal victims, underscoring the human dimension of the cases and the torture reported during pre-trial detention.
Background
The Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don has issued 436 guilty verdicts against Ukrainian citizens since 2022, and the 2nd Western District Military Court 224 more, according to the project. Ukrainians are most often convicted under Russian Criminal Code Articles 205.3 and 205.4, terrorism-related provisions that were also the basis on which the vast majority of Azovstal defenders were tried. Typical sentences reported are 13 and 18 years, with life imprisonment in individual cases. According to estimates from former prisoners cited by the project, only about 30% of the use of force during interrogation was aimed at extracting specific 'confessions,' with the rest described as intimidation and preparation for talks with investigators.