Zemlechenko Igor Evgenevich (Zemlechenko Igor Yevgenovich)

On November 23, 2024, in the Kursk region, during combat operations, four Ukrainian citizens were taken prisoner by Russian military personnel, soldiers of military unit A-4098 (129th separate territorial defense brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine): 42-year-old Arkady Kolchin, 38-year-old Ruslan Kurilenko, 26-year-old Alexander Krotyuk, and 33-year-old Igor Zemlechenko. Criminal charges were brought against them for committing a terrorist act by a group of persons by prior conspiracy, resulting in significant damage. According to the Russian investigation, on November 6, 2024, Kolchin, Kurilenko, Krotiuk, and Zemlechenko, armed with automatic weapons and grenades, as part of units in armored vehicles "Kazak" and "Maxx Pro, illegally crossed the state border and invaded the territory of the Sudzhansky district of the Kursk region. From November 6 to 23, they participated in an armed blockade of the village of Plyekhovo. Near the village, at equipped observation and fire positions, they "watched the actions of Russian military personnel, transmitted information about them, intimidated the population with the use of weapons, and hindered evacuation in order to disrupt the activities of government bodies. On September 9, 2025, the 2nd Western Military District Court found the servicemen guilty and sentenced Ruslan Kurilenko to 14 years of imprisonment, Alexander Krotiuk to 15 years, Igor Zemlechenko to 14 years and 6 months, and Arkady Kolchin to 14 years of imprisonment. Initially, all were sentenced to serve the first 3 years in prison, and the remainder in a strict regime correctional colony. The verdict was not appealed and entered into legal force.