In the self-proclaimed DPR, 37-year-old defender of Mariupol Vitaly Matvienko, who was captured, was sentenced to 30 years in prison

The Supreme Court of the self-proclaimed DPR sentenced captured Ukrainian soldier Vitaly Matvienko to 30 years in a maximum security colony. TASS reports this with reference to the DPR prosecutor's office.

37-year-old Matvienko was found guilty of murdering six civilians in Mariupol and attempting to kill four more. It is alleged that in March 2022, Matvienko, on the orders of the commander, allegedly shot a car with people from a machine gun, and then, together with his colleagues, a convoy of three cars.

The press service of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation stated that Matvienko fully admitted his guilt.

Vitaly Matvienko is a paramedic at the medical post of the rocket artillery division of the 36th separate marine brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who participated in the defense of Mariupol in the spring of 2022.

• The Investigative Committee of Russia constantly reports on the long prison sentences that courts impose on Ukrainian military personnel, including defenders of Mariupol who were captured by Russia (these are soldiers of the 36th brigade and the Azov regiment ). A court in Rostov-on-Don earlier in November sentenced Anton Cherednik, a serviceman of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, to 19 years in prison - the investigation alleged that he allegedly killed a resident of Mariupol for incorrectly pronouncing the word “bread” in Ukrainian.