A Ukrainian court has sentenced a Russian soldier to life in prison for killing a Ukrainian prisoner of war in the first such conviction since Russia's full-scale invasion. The Zaporizhzhia court found Dmitry Kurashov, 27, guilty of shooting dead Vitalii Hodniuk, a Ukrainian soldier who had surrendered in January 2024 when his dugout was captured by Russian forces.
Kurashov, who was taken prisoner by Ukrainian forces soon after the incident, initially pleaded guilty but later told reporters he was innocent and wanted to be exchanged. He said after the ruling on Thursday that he did not plan to appeal. The Ukrainian prosecutor general's office said it is investigating the murder of 322 Ukrainian servicemen who had laid down their arms or surrendered since 2022.
In other developments, Ukrainian drones struck a major oil refinery in Russia's Volgograd region for the second time in nearly three months, Ukraine's general staff said. Russian officials did not confirm the attack, but the local governor said drones started a fire at an unspecified industrial facility. The refinery is the largest producer of fuel and lubricants in southern Russia, processing over 15 million tons of crude annually.
Sweden and Ukraine signed a letter of intent to establish a hub in Ukraine for developing new weapons technologies, with Swedish personnel working on site, said Swedish Defence Minister Pal Jonson. The announcement follows a previous agreement on aviation cooperation that could lead to Ukraine buying up to 150 Gripen E fighter jets.
A Moscow-backed court in occupied Donetsk jailed two Colombians for 13 years each for fighting for Kyiv. The pair vanished in July while on a stopover in Venezuela en route home after their deployment, and were later seen in a video published by Russia's FSB security service, handcuffed and wearing prison clothing.
