Russian pilot who bombed Kharkiv gets 12-year prison term in Ukraine

A court in Ukraine sentenced a Russian service member to 12 years in prison, finding him guilty of violating the laws and customs of war, reports Ukraine’s Prosecutor General.

According to the prosecution, on March 6, 2022, the pilot participated in an attack on Kharkiv, dropping eight bombs on the city’s radio and television station. The attack damaged the station’s tower and administrative building. Ukrainian forces shot down his plane, and the pilot ejected and was arrested.

The Ukrainian prosecutor noted that the radio and television station is civilian infrastructure, it serves no military purpose, and there were no weapons, military equipment, or Ukrainian Armed Forces troops deployed nearby.

The prosecutor’s office has not named the convicted man. The report says that he is a deputy commander in the 6th Air and Air Defense Forces Army.

Russian news agency TASS reports that the person in question is Major Alexander Krasnoyartsev. However, the New York Times has reported that Krasnoyartsev’s plane was shot down and crashed into a house in Chernihiv, after which the pilot reportedly killed a resident who tried to catch and detain him. Krasnoyartsev was then arrested by members of Ukraine’s Territorial Defense.