On March 12, 2026, the Kherson City Court sentenced a russian serviceman in absentia to life imprisonment for fatally shooting the captain of a river tugboat in the occupied Kherson region in 2022.
What is known about the accused
Amandusov Erzhan Konguzhaevich (born September 11, 1991) is a native of Orenburg and a serviceman of the 33rd Motor Rifle Regiment of the 20th Motor Rifle Division, part of the 8th Combined Arms Army of russia’s Southern Military District (military unit 58550).
At the time of the crime, he was deployed with occupation forces in the Kherson region and was on guard duty along the Konka River embankment in occupied Hola Prystan.
The court described him as a person “devoid of any moral principles, compassion or conscience” who demonstrated “savage and barbaric behavior” and a complete disregard for human life.
Circumstances of the crime
The tugboat RBT-1 “Ridsa” operated daily between Kherson (then under occupation) and Hola Prystan, transporting civilians and their belongings. On the evening of November 1, 2022, between 7:30 p.m. and 8:10 p.m., the vessel was approaching the shore in Hola Prystan.
While on the Konka River embankment, Amandusov spotted the tugboat at a distance of up to 100 meters. The vessel was civilian, unarmed and posed no threat. Despite this, he opened fire, firing at least 17 rounds from a 5.45×39 mm automatic weapon at people on board.
As a result, the captain, born in 1986, sustained a fatal gunshot wound to the head and died at the scene.
The engineer managed to take cover below the waterline and survived.
The vessel was carried by the current to the opposite bank.
According to intercepted communications cited in the case, the gunman told his command he had heard the engine of an unidentified vessel and, after 10–15 minutes, saw the tugboat and decided to “open fire to stop the vessel.”
An eyewitness on the embankment said the soldier opened fire with a Kalashnikov assault rifle at the tugboat without any warning. Afterward, the same witness was detained, searched and threatened with execution if he disclosed what he had seen.
The captain was buried in Kherson on November 4, 2022.
Investigators identified the suspect using operational data, social media posts and OSINT analysis.
Verdict
The court found the serviceman guilty of violating the laws and customs of war combined with the intentional killing of a civilian (Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) and sentenced him to life imprisonment, the maximum penalty under the article.
The ruling stresses that the victim was a civilian, had no ties to armed groups, worked as a river vessel captain and did not engage in any provocative actions.
The trial was held in absentia, as the convicted man remains in occupied territory. The sentence will take effect from the moment of his detention.