Dmitriy Kurashov, 27, was sentenced to life in prison by a Zaporizhzhia court after being convicted of shooting a surrendered Ukrainian soldier at point-blank range on 6 January 2024. Kurashov had previously served time in Russia and signed a defence ministry contract in November 2023 in exchange for amnesty. The verdict is reportedly the first conviction of a Russian serviceman for killing a captured Ukrainian since the war began. Ukraine’s Prosecutor General has opened 75 investigations into suspected executions of 268 POWs as of 5 May.
Historic ruling: Russian soldier jailed for life for killing surrendered Ukrainian POW
Dmitriy Kurashov, 27, was sentenced to life in prison by a Zaporizhzhia court after being convicted of shooting a surrendered Ukrainian soldier at point-blank range on 6 January 2024. Kurashov had previously served time in Russia and signed a defence ministry contract in November 2023 in exchange for amnesty. The verdict is reportedly the first conviction of a Russian serviceman for killing a captured Ukrainian since the war began. Ukraine’s Prosecutor General has opened 75 investigations into suspected executions of 268 POWs as of 5 May.
00:07, 07.11.2025Conflict
Historic Conviction in Zaporizhzhia
Dmitriy Kurashov, 27, was sentenced to life imprisonment by a court in Zaporizhzhia after being found guilty of shooting a Ukrainian soldier who had surrendered during fighting on 6 January 2024.
According to Ukraine’s security service and prosecutors, Kurashov — who had previously served a prison term in Russia for theft and signed a contract with the Russian defence ministry in November 2023 in exchange for amnesty — shot the Ukrainian at point-blank range near the village of Pryiutne in the Zaporizhzhia region.
The prosecutor said the Ukrainian combatant had run out of ammunition, emerged from a dugout unarmed, raised his hands to signal surrender and, at the Russian soldier’s request, knelt — then was shot with an automatic weapon and died on the spot.
The court found Kurashov guilty of deliberately killing a prisoner of war. Officials described the life sentence as unprecedented — the first reported criminal conviction and life term handed to a Russian serviceman for killing a captured Ukrainian since the full-scale war began.
Separate Acquittal
In a separate case, a Russian serviceman accused of looting a house in Blystavitsy (Bucha district, Kyiv region) in March 2022 was acquitted due to insufficient evidence.
Broader Investigations
Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office has been investigating alleged executions of captured Ukrainian soldiers. As of 5 May, it reported opening 75 criminal investigations into suspected executions involving a total of 268 Ukrainian prisoners of war. The office provided a breakdown by period:
- 2022: 8 cases involving 57 soldiers
- 2023: 8 cases involving 11 soldiers
- 2024: 39 cases involving 149 soldiers
- Up to 5 May (this year): 20 cases involving 51 soldiers
This conviction is seen by Kyiv and some rights observers as a notable step toward accountability for alleged war crimes, though Ukrainian officials say prosecutions remain rare relative to the scale of allegations.
All facts in this report are based on statements from Ukrainian authorities and court findings reported publicly.