The Odessa Regional Prosecutor's Office has reported suspicions against two officers of the Russian Black Sea Fleet for the cruel treatment of the crew of the Ukrainian rescue vessel Sapphire, which was captured near Zmeiny Island, according to a statement issued on July 9.
Russians captured the crew of the civilian ship Sapphire
The investigation established that on February 26, 2022, the Ukrainian civilian vessel Sapphire, involved in a humanitarian mission to evacuate the wounded and dead, was stopped by the Russian military.
There were 17 crew members and four civilians on board – a doctor, an electrician and two priests. The ship was unarmed.
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After the capture, all people were held in harsh conditions: without access to food, drinking water and medical care. In addition, the Ukrainians were beaten, intimidated and threatened with weapons.
According to the investigation, the detention took place on the Russian intelligence ship Ekvator and the tugboat Shakhtyor, which was formally considered a civilian vessel, but was used for military purposes.
Later, all of them were illegally taken to the temporarily occupied Crimea. They were kept there until their release as part of a prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia. The rescue ship was returned to Ukraine along with the people.
Law enforcement officials have brought charges against the commander of the ship Equator and the captain of the tugboat Shakhtyor for cruel treatment of civilians and violation of the laws and customs of war.
They face up to 12 years in prison. The search and determination of their whereabouts is currently ongoing.
On March 5, 2024, the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued arrest warrants for the commander of the Russian Long-Range Aviation Sergei Kobylash and the commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet Viktor Sokolov. They are suspected of committing war crimes at least between October 10, 2022 and March 9, 2023.
The ICC concluded that these commanders were responsible for the missile strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure carried out by forces under their command.