Melnikovich Ivan Vasilevich (Melnikovich Ivan Vasilovich)

In Mariupol, the occupied part of the Donetsk region, no later than April 2022, three Ukrainian citizens, servicemen of the "Azov" regiment - 24-year-old Andrey Klementovich, 22-year-old Ivan Melnikovich and 29-year-old Arthur Sivitsky - fell into the hands of Russian soldiers. They were accused of cruel treatment of the civilian population and attempted murder of two or more persons committed by an organized group on the grounds of political and ideological hatred. According to the investigation, in March 2022 in Mariupol, Klementovich, Melnikovich, and Sivitsky, while in a cargo truck, discovered a passenger car with two men and, believing they held pro-Russian views, fired more than 50 shots at them. The victims managed to escape. Moreover, on April 3, 2022, Klementovich, while on combat duty, shot a civilian, assuming that the latter held a pro-Russian position. The victim was wounded but managed to hide. On August 21, 2023, the Supreme Court of the Donetsk People's Republic found the defendants guilty and sentenced Andrey Klementovich to 20 years in prison, and Ivan Melnikovich and Arthur Sivitsky to 18 years in a strict regime penal colony. Information about an appeal against the verdict is not available. Also, criminal cases were initiated against Melnikovich, Klementovich, and Sivitsky for participating in a terrorist community and undergoing training for the purpose of carrying out terrorist activities. The reason for the criminal prosecution was service in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine of the nationalist "Azov" battalion, recognized as a terrorist organization in Russia. On November 12, 2025, the Southern District Military Court found Ivan Melnikovich guilty and sentenced him to 18 years in a strict regime colony. The verdict was not appealed and entered into legal force.