Putin Appoints 8 More Judges in Occupied Ukraine, Military Intel Says

Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) says Moscow is expanding a court system used to persecute residents and strip Ukrainians of property and parental rights. Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed eight more judges to Russian-controlled courts in occupied parts of Ukraine, expanding what Ukraine’s military intelligence agency described as a network used to repress residents.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Putin signed decree No. 723 on Oct. 12, appointing the judges to six-year terms, according to HUR. Four appointments were to courts in the Donetsk region, two in the Zaporizhzhia region and one each in the Luhansk region and Sevastopol, in occupied Crimea. Russia has appointed 665 judges in occupied Ukrainian territory since 2023, including 38 this year. The agency accused Moscow of using the courts to prosecute residents who resist occupation authorities, including those who refuse to accept Russian passports. It also said the courts facilitate the widespread unlawful deprivation of Ukrainian citizens’ property and parental rights. Appointments across occupied regions In the occupied Donetsk region, Anastasia Zhuzhgova, Olga Klavdeeva and Olga Sitnikova were appointed to the Russian-controlled Supreme Court, while Islam Tualiyev was appointed to a garrison military court, HUR said. Vladislav Pototsky was appointed to the Russian-controlled Supreme Court in the occupied Luhansk region. In the occupied Zaporizhzhia region, Vladislav Neklesov was appointed to the Melitopol Interdistrict Court and Idris Israilov to a garrison military court. Other Topics of Interest Ukraine Rejects US Plan to Redraw Donbas Borders to Give Putin Symbolic Victory Under the proposed arrangement, Moscow could declare that it had achieved its goal of taking the entire Donbas, even though Ukrainian forces would retain control of cities that Russian troops have failed to capture. Oksana Yefremenko was appointed to the Arbitration Court of Sevastopol Courts as a tool of occupation HUR described the Russian-controlled courts as instruments of Kremlin repression, saying the latest appointments strengthen Moscow’s ability to pursue Ukrainians who refuse to submit to occupation authorities. The agency characterized the judicial bodies as illegal and said their work extends beyond criminal prosecutions to decisions affecting residents’ homes, other property and parental rights. HUR concluded by warning that those responsible for war crimes against Ukraine would be held accountable. Elections in occupied territories Moscow organized voting across Ukrainian territories it claims to have annexed despite not fully controlling four of the regions. Ukraine and its Western partners reject the annexations as illegal and recognize all occupied areas, including Crimea, as Ukrainian territory. The EU called on Russia to respect Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders, end its war of aggression and agree to a full, immediate, and unconditional ceasefire. It also demanded the complete withdrawal of Russian troops and military equipment from Ukraine. The statement went beyond the voting in occupied Ukraine, saying the election demonstrated the “deep and ongoing erosion of democracy” inside Russia. The EU pointed to the exclusion of Yabloko’s federal list from the election. Yabloko was one of Russia’s last legally operating opposition parties and the only registered party contesting the vote with an explicitly anti-war platform. Its removal further restricted voters’ choices in an election already shaped by Russia’s repression of dissent and the elimination of meaningful political competition, the EU said. The bloc accused Russian authorities of systematically using administrative and judicial resources to silence opponents of the war, restrict access to independent information, and prevent democratic forces from challenging the Kremlin. The EU also criticized Moscow for failing to invite observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). It said the decision violated Russia’s commitments as an OSCE participating state and deprived voters of an impartial assessment of the election. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 90% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.