A Russian soldier who committed war crimes against the civilian population of Ukraine has been sentenced to life imprisonment for shooting two residents of Kharkiv Oblast who were in a frontline area at that time.

Source: Security Service of Ukraine (SSU); Office of the Prosecutor General

Details: Artyom Kulikov, a 21-year-old Russian recidivist, fought as a rifleman with the 23rd Motorised Rifle Brigade of the 6th Red Banner Combined Arms Army of the Russian Federation.

Ukraine’s defence forces captured him in October 2024 whilst fighting on the Kupiansk front.

Artyom Kulikov**Photo: Office of the Prosecutor General

Artyom joined Russia’s Armed Forces in late August 2024 from a prison in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod, whilst serving his sentence for robbery and theft.

The man was sent to the eastern front to attack the positions of Ukrainian troops in the border areas of Kharkiv Oblast after just a short training session.

While trying to seize a village in the Kupiansk district, Kulikov and his accomplice captured two local residents who were helping a fellow villager evacuate from the war zone.

Ukrainian investigators revealed that the Russians tried to receive information about the location of the defence forces from the captured people.

When Kulikov received no information, his immediate commander – who goes by the alias “Grif” and whose identity is still being established – ordered him via radio on 8 October 2024 to kill the prisoners. The Russian serviceman shot two men at close range with his assault rifle, killing them instantly.

The SSU reported that during the interrogation, the Russian gave an incriminating testimony against his commanders, who ordered the killing of civilians in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

The panel of judges found Kulikov guilty under Article 28.2 and Article 438.2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, based on the evidence collected by the SSU.

The Office of the Prosecutor General notes that the convict pleaded guilty during the trial.

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