Ukraine carries out first extradition of Russian soldier for war crimes

Ukraine has announced that it extradited a captured Russian soldier to Lithuania, where he will stand trial for alleged war crimes — an act officials described as a “historic” first.

Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko confirmed the extradition on October 31 via his official Telegram channel, calling it “a historic and important precedent for the entire international justice system.”

“For the first time since the start of full-scale aggression, Ukraine has handed over a Russian serviceman to a foreign state, Lithuania, for real criminal prosecution for war crimes,” his statement reads.

Authorities identified the extradited soldier as a sailor who had served in the Russian military police and was captured by Ukrainian forces in the Zaporizhzhia region, near the southern village of Robotyne.

The extradited individual was “involved in the illegal detention, torture, and inhumane treatment of civilians and prisoners of war” in Melitopol in 2022 after it fell under Russian military occupation. One of the victims was a Lithuanian national — a factor that could lead to a life sentence under Lithuanian law.

Kyiv has long sought to hold Russian personnel personally accountable for crimes committed during the 2022 invasion, working with international partners to pursue justice for alleged atrocities.

The Lithuanian Prosecutor General’s Office said in their statement that the suspect, between March and September 2022, together with other Russian troops — including members of the 177th Separate Marine Regiment of the Caspian Flotilla — participated in the beatings and torture of a Lithuanian citizen.

According to Kravchenko, the extradition sends “a clear signal to every war criminal: you will not be able to hide from justice in any country of the free world.”

By Nazrin Sadigova