Commander of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet charged over seizure of Ukrainian vessel
Photo: Commander of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet Sergey Pinchuk (Russian media)
The commander of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, Admiral Sergey Pinchuk, has been charged in absentia. He issued the order to seize the Ukrainian rescue vessel Sapfir, according to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
According to the investigation, on February 26, 2022, under his order, the Russian troops seized the Ukrainian search and rescue vessel Sapfir, which was carrying out a humanitarian mission near Zmiinyi (Snake) Island.
That day, Russian forces illegally stopped and blocked the civilian vessel near the coast of the Ukrainian island.
Afterward, the Russian military boarded the ship, where, under threat of assault rifles, they took all 19 crew members hostage, along with a priest and a doctor who were also on board. Some of them were transferred to a Russian Navy tugboat, while the others were held on Zmiinyi Island, which was temporarily occupied at the time.
All the captives were subjected to psychological pressure and threats of physical violence, including staged "executions" carried out by Russian forces.
During these acts of torture, Pinchuk personally arrived on Zmiinyi Island, took part in the interrogation of the Sapfir's captain, and later gave the order to transport the victims along with the rescue vessel to Crimea and then on to Russia.
Based on the collected evidence, Pinchuk was charged in absentia under Part 2 of Article 28 and Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (war crimes committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy).
Last month, two officers of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet were also charged with cruel treatment of the crew of the Ukrainian vessel Sapfir near Zmiinyi Island.
