“On April 28, a court in Ukraine found the former judge of the occupation “Kyiv District Court of the city of Simferopol” guilty of violating the laws and customs of war. He was sentenced to 13 years in prison with confiscation of property, the Office of the Prosecutor General announced on May 6.
“A verdict has been issued that directly recognizes the use of the occupation “judicial” system against the civilian population as a tool of pressure, punishment and intimidation as a war crime,” the statement said. According to the UCP, this is the first such verdict.
The name of the judge has not been named, but, according to the Crimean Wind public website, we are talking about Viktor Mozhelyansky. In 2024, he was already sentenced by a Ukrainian court to 13 years in prison under the article of high treason.
It has been proven that after the occupation of Crimea, he deliberately went over to the side of the aggressor state, swore allegiance to it and worked in the illegal judicial system, in particular, persecuting people for their pro-Ukrainian position.
Among the main episodes cited by the Office of the Prosecutor General are the illegal detention of the deputy head of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, Akhtem Chiygoz, for participating in a peaceful rally in support of the territorial integrity of Ukraine, as well as the sentencing of Ukrainian activist Alexander Kostenko to four years and two months in prison for the events of the Revolution of Dignity.
These decisions were made using the legislation of the Russian Federation in the occupied territory and grossly violated the norms of international humanitarian law, in particular the Geneva Conventions. This qualifies as a systemic deprivation of citizens of the right to a fair trial.
Currently, the convict continues to work for the invaders in the occupied part of the Kherson region and is under sanctions from a number of states and international partners of Ukraine.
