On May 15, 2026, the Vyshhorod District Court of Kyiv Region found a russian serviceman guilty of wounding a civilian with an assault rifle during the occupation of Kyiv Region in the spring of 2022.
Who was convicted
Dmitry Andreyevich Kalinovich (born February 14, 1999), a native of the village of Khorol in Russia’s Primorsky Krai.
He served in the 4th Air Assault Company of the 2nd Parachute Battalion of the 83rd Separate Air Assault Brigade of the Eastern Military District of the russian armed forces (military unit No. 71289).
Circumstances of the crime
In late February 2022, units of the russian armed forces crossed into Ukraine from Belarus and took up positions in the Vyshhorod district of Kyiv Region. Around February 25, the village of Kozarovychi, part of the Dymer territorial community near Kyiv, came under russian occupation.
Residents of the village did not offer armed resistance, and there were no Ukrainian military units or equipment in the area at the time. Ukrainian positions were located across the Irpin River. The occupation was carried out by units of the russian airborne forces and the russian national guard.
A local resident lived and worked on a farm near one of the streets in Kozarovychi, where he cared for livestock. Russian military patrols routinely passed within 20–25 meters of the farmhouse.
On the afternoon of March 8, 2022, the victim left the farm dressed in civilian clothing to herd sheep. He was unarmed and displayed no signs of involvement in hostilities.
At that moment, two russian paratroopers were conducting a routine foot patrol. One of them — Kalinovich — opened fire without warning using a 5.45 mm AKS-74U assault rifle at the civilian.
Kalinovich’s involvement was established through testimony from his fellow serviceman, who was later taken prisoner. The witness stated that Kalinovich fired toward the pigsty after noticing an unarmed civilian there.
In January 2024, the witness was returned to russia as part of a prisoner exchange.
As a result of the shooting, the victim sustained a penetrating gunshot wound to his right thigh and retreated deeper into the farm area. None of the russian servicemen provided medical assistance. Although other russian soldiers visited the next day, they only asked how he had been injured and then left.
After being wounded, the victim was left alone and attempted to stop the bleeding himself. On March 9, the owner of the farm and another villager found him and bandaged the wound. Under occupation, it was impossible to call an ambulance or obtain medical treatment.
Sentence
The court classified Kalinovich’s actions under Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — violation of the laws and customs of war through cruel treatment of civilians — and sentenced him to 10 years in prison.
The prison term will be counted from the moment of his actual detention.
The criminal proceeding was registered in the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations under No. 12023000000001671 on September 7, 2023.