Russia jails soldiers who killed entire family in Ukraine

A Russian tribunal has sentenced 2 Russian soldiers to beingness successful situation for sidesplitting a household of 9 successful occupied Ukraine, successful a uncommon illustration of the state holding its troops to relationship for alleged warfare crimes.

The full Kapkanets household were killed successful their location successful the Donetsk portion successful October past twelvemonth by Anton Sopov, 21, and Stanislav Rau, 28, prosecutors said. Among the victims were 2 children aged 5 and nine.

The household had been celebrating a day astatine the time, Ukraine's ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said a time aft the killings.

Some details of the lawsuit are unclear, specified arsenic whether the soldiers pleaded guilty, arsenic the proceedings was held down closed doors owed to subject secrecy, Russian media reported.

Sopov and Rau were convicted of sidesplitting 53-year-old Eduard Kapkanets, his woman Tatiana, their big sons with their wives, a nine-year-old granddaughter, a four-year-old grandson and a much distant comparative of the family.

Ukrainian officials astatine the clip said they believed the household was murdered for refusing to springiness up their location to the Russian troops.

State quality bureau Tass reported that the men had been convicted for execution "motivated by political, ideological, racial, nationalist oregon spiritual hatred".

The Ukrainian metropolis of Volnovakha was captured by Russian forces conscionable weeks aft its full-scale penetration of Ukraine began successful February 2022. Most of the municipality has been destroyed.

Russia denies each allegations of warfare crimes successful Ukraine, contempt good papers grounds to the contrary.

This includes the bombing of a theatre successful Mariupol which had been sheltering hundreds of radical successful March 2022 and the sidesplitting of hundreds of radical successful the municipality of Bucha that month.

Russian forces are besides accused of moving a network of torture chambers crossed occupied Ukraine, wherever civilians and prisoners of warfare are tortured and successful immoderate cases killed.

The UN has accused Russian forces successful Ukraine of rapes, "widespread" torture and killings and the International Criminal Court has issued a warrant for Vladimir Putin's arrest.