On 28 October 2024, the panel of judges of the Criminal Chamber of the Kyiv Court of Appeal considered the criminal proceedings on the appeal of the defendant’s lawyer Denys Kulikovskyi against the verdict of the Shevchenkivskiy District Court of Kyiv of 03 January 2024.

The above verdict found the accused guilty of criminal offences:

participation in a terrorist organisation (sentenced to 14 years’ imprisonment with confiscation of all property owned by the defendant);

participation in a paramilitary formation not provided for by the laws of Ukraine (sentenced to 5 years’ imprisonment with confiscation of all property owned by the person);

in cruel treatment of civilians committed by a group of persons and violation of the laws and customs of war stipulated by international treaties ratified by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment).

For the totality of the crimes, by absorbing the less severe punishment with the more severe one, the final sentence for the defendant was 14 years of imprisonment with confiscation of all property belonging to him.

The sentence imposed on the defendant under this verdict was partially joined to the sentence imposed by the Chervonohvardiiskyi District Court of Makiivka, Donetsk region, on 24 January 2013, and the final sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment with confiscation of all property was imposed.

By this verdict, the defendant was found not guilty of committing a criminal offence under part 2 of article 149 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and acquitted on the grounds that the elements of this criminal offence were not proved.

The court also recovered from the accused in favour of the victims non-pecuniary damage caused by the criminal offence.

According to the verdict, the accused Denis Kulikovsky, being a citizen of Ukraine, being on 21 August 2014 in Donetsk, voluntarily joined the ranks of the terrorist organisation ‘DPR’, including the paramilitary formation «SSM DPR», which is not provided for by the laws of Ukraine, and in August 2014 was appointed to the position of «controller of the security department of the Centre for Special Operations of the «SSM DPR»». As a result, in October 2014, he was appointed to the position of the head of the prison of the «DPR» terrorist organisation, the «Izolyatsia» temporary detention centre, and held this position until February 2018.

Contributing to the aggressive war against Ukraine, acting as the head of the TDC «Izolyatsia», he illegally detained pro-Ukrainian citizens who were captured by members of the «DPR» and «SSM DPR», using and threatening to use physical and psychological violence to obtain information from them and ensure further activities of the «DPR» and «SSM DPR», organise illegal detention of captured servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and law enforcement agencies, using physical and psychological pressure.

The accused, being the head of the «Izolyatsia» detention facility, gave orders to escort and protect persons illegally deprived of their liberty, as well as to illegally engage them in forced labour.

As a result of the appeal hearing, the appeal of the defendant’s defence counsel was dismissed, and the verdict of the Shevchenkivskiy District Court of Kyiv of 03 January 2024 was upheld.

The Press Service of the Kyiv Court of Appeal informs