A Russian military court sentenced two soldiers to life imprisonment for killing a family of nine in occupied Donetsk Oblast, Russia’s state-controlled news outlet Kommersant reported on November 8.

Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor’s Office reported that on October 30, Russian forces entered a house in occupied Volnovakha and killed nine civiliansincluding two children aged five and nine. It was stated that the victims were the Kapkanets family who were celebrating their birthday.

The Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced two soldiers, Anton Sopov (21) and Stanislav Rau (28), to life imprisonment. This case is a rare example of Russian officials holding their own soldiers responsible for war crimes committed in Ukraine. .

Kommersant claimed that the trial was held in secret due to military secrecy and that both men were found not guilty.

Sopov and Rau arrested in Russia On the same day, Ukraine published its report on the murders. The Russian Investigative Committee determined that the two soldiers were contract personnel from Russia’s far east.

According to Ukraine’s investigation, the family was killed when they refused to vacate their home after being threatened by Sopov and Rau.

A few days before the murders, Russian soldiers reportedly approached Kapkanets’ home and demanded that the family leave so they could reside there. The residents refused and the soldiers left.

The prosecutor’s office said that they returned on October 27 and shot all nine members of the family while they were sleeping.

Russia has repeatedly denied that its forces committed crimes in Ukraine.

Ukraine blames Russian forces 137,000 war crimes It was carried out as part of a large-scale invasion. Crimes include: mass kidnapping Ukrainian children torture of those living in the occupied territories and killing of civilians.