On December 23, 2025, the Trostyanets District Court in Ukraine’s Sumy Oblast sentenced five Russian servicemen for illegally detaining, torturing, and holding civilians in inhumane conditions during the occupation of the city of Trostyanets in the spring of 2022. All five were tried and sentenced in absentia to ten years’ imprisonment.
Аbout the perpetrators
Maxim Yurievich Volchek (08.06.1995) – native of Klinets, Bryansk region, Russia, commander of the 3rd Motorized Rifle Company of the 423rd Motorized Rifle Regiment. He directed the actions of subordinates and made key decisions regarding the detained civilians.
Vadym Mykolayovych Mitin (21.06.2000) – native of Cherepovets, Vologda region, tank commander of the 2nd Tank Platoon. He actively participated in the detention and intimidation of civilians, repeatedly threatening them with execution.
Oleksiy Volodymyrovych Ryzhkovich (28.10.1993) – native of Ryazan, commander of the 2nd Motorized Rifle Company. He organized the detention of civilians and ensured they were held in inhumane conditions.
Rustam Khalilovich Irzayev (19.01.1995) – native of Kaluga, commander of a motorized rifle unit. He personally inflicted physical violence, striking detainees with an assault rifle and a wooden plank.
Petr Gennadievich Ilyushin (09.06.1999) – native of Blagoveshchensk, Amur region, vehicle gunner-operator. In addition to participating in torture, he stole two laptops from a local enterprise.
All five served in the 423rd Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment (Yampol Red Banner), part of the 4th Tank Division of the 1st Tank Army, Western Military District of Russia, stationed in Naro-Fominsk, Moscow Region.
Criminal activity
On March 13, 2022, at around 5–6 p.m., Russian occupiers detained four local residents walking along the railway near the Kononivsky Elevator, where the soldiers had set up their headquarters, while they were searching for fuel. The group included a father and son and two other men. One of the soldiers called them in Ukrainian to lure them, and when they approached, they were ordered to lie on the ground.
All four were in civilian clothing and unarmed. Despite this, the soldiers searched them, confiscated their documents and belongings, and escorted them at gunpoint to the elevator, forcing them to walk with heads bent and hands behind their backs.
At the weighing station, detainees were met by Irzayev, wearing a black hat with a white “Under Armour” inscription. At that time, soldiers fired bursts from their weapons toward the street where a car was passing. Upon returning, they aggressively accused the civilians of allegedly causing a woman’s death.
The detainees were placed on metal pipes, handcuffed, blindfolded with hats, and bound with duct tape. Mitin shouted that they should be executed, calling them a sabotage group. Continuing the psychological pressure, Volchek and other soldiers staged a mock execution, firing automatic weapons into the air near one detainee and punching him in the stomach. The other three prisoners, blindfolded, perceived it as a real killing.
The detainees were taken separately to various rooms for interrogation. Irzayev personally tortured one young man, tying his hands and feet with duct tape and covering his face. When the detainee reacted nervously to repeated questions, Irzayev struck him three times in the jaw and three times in the ear, wearing tactical gloves. He threatened, stating that the human body had “about 2,000 bones” and he would break them all. He then used a wooden plank with sharp corners to strike the detainee’s legs below the knees and toes for about 30 minutes, resulting in bruises that later required surgery.
Another detainee was struck with a rifle butt, hitting his shoulder, abdomen, and leg.
After interrogations, all four civilians were placed in an outbuilding on the elevator grounds, ordered to lie on the floor without moving. Soldiers threatened them with automatic weapons in case of disobedience. The shackles were extremely tight, causing swelling and bruising. Any movement required prior permission.
On March 14, two men were taken to Trostyanets train station for further questioning, while the father and son were moved to the basement by Volchek, Ryzhkovich, Irzayev, Ilyushin, and Mitin.
The basement was unfit for human habitation: no lighting, heating, water, restroom, or furniture. Temperatures mirrored the outdoors, ranging from –10 to –16°C. Only two old chairs and two jackets were available. Throughout detention, the detainees received one dry ration for four, later one for two, a bottle of frozen water, and a packet of frozen milk.
They were forced to relieve themselves in a corner and could not sleep due to the cold. The father and son were held from March 14–18. They marked the walls to track time. Periodically, guards allowed brief breaks in a cold room with bars and an open window. Mitin repeatedly threatened to shoot them if given orders.
On March 18, a previously unseen soldier in clean clothing released the prisoners, returning their documents. The other detainees taken to the train station were later transferred to Boromlya village and eventually released, including one who was taken to a Russian military unit before being returned.
Verdict
The trial was conducted in absentia, with five state-provided defense attorneys participating. The defendants did not testify or file motions. Victims identified all five based on photos, physical characteristics, speech (including Irzayev’s Caucasian accent), clothing, and behavior.
The court found all five guilty under Part 2 of Article 28 and Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (cruel treatment of civilians and violation of the laws and customs of war) and sentenced them to ten years’ imprisonment. Sentences will be counted from the date of their detention.