Ukraine hands over Russian war criminal to Lithuania — first case since war began

For the first time since the start of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine has officially handed over a Russian service member to Lithuania for prosecution for war crimes.

This event is of great importance not only for Ukraine but also for the international justice system, as it opens up new opportunities for investigating crimes committed by Russian soldiers on Ukrainian territory.

On October 30, the Vilnius District Court, at the initiative of the prosecutor of the Prosecutor General’s Office of Lithuania, ordered the suspect detained for three months. This Russian citizen, a senior sailor of the military police, was captured by Ukrainian soldiers near the village of Robotyne in Zaporizhia.

According to available information, the suspect is involved in serious crimes against civilians and prisoners of war, including torture, ill-treatment, beatings, and strangulation. Some of the detainees were kept in metal safes.

Among the victims is also a Lithuanian citizen, who became the basis for criminal prosecution by the Lithuanian side.

Suspicion has already been announced under several articles of the Criminal Code of Lithuania, in particular, war crimes, torture, and unlawful deprivation of liberty, which could lead to life imprisonment for the suspect.

This step was made possible thanks to cooperation within the framework of the Joint Investigation Group “Ukraine Case” with Lithuanian law enforcement agencies.

The representative of the Ukrainian side emphasized that this is not just a legal procedure, but a powerful signal to all war criminals: responsibility for their actions cannot be avoided in any country that respects human rights.

Discussions within the framework of this case included high-level contacts, in particular, meetings with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda and Prosecutor General Nida Hrunskiene.

As a reminder, on October 26, 2025, two drone attacks on civilian objects were recorded in the Sumy region. As a result of one of the attacks, a drone hit a passenger minibus on the Sumy-Bilopilla highway, as reported by the Sumy regional prosecutor’s office.