Two Russian soldiers were sentenced to life in prison for shooting nine family members in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, the Kommersant daily reported on Friday. The sentence was passed in a military court in Rostov-on-Don. The murder of a family that lived in the city of Volnovakha occurred at the end of October last year.
“Kommersant” wrote that the convicted contract soldiers were 28 and 21 years old.
At the end of October last year, soldiers armed with automatic weapons entered a private house in the city of Volnovakha in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic and shot everyone there: 53-year-old Eduard Kapkanets, his wife Tatiana, two sons with their wives, a nine-year-old granddaughter, a four-year-old grandson and an extended relative of the family.
“Kommersant” wrote that the neighbors of the Kapkaniec family saw two men in military uniforms riding away on an off-road motorcycle at night. It was recorded by surveillance cameras. One of the perpetrators was arrested the day after committing the crime. He rented a room near the victims' house and stored his motorcycle in the yard. The next day, his accomplice was also arrested.
Possible motive for murder
In a conversation with journalists, residents of Volnovakha recalled that on the day of the murder, the soldiers came to the store to buy alcohol, they were quite drunk, and the locals did not like their visit. Eduard Kapkaniec allegedly got into an argument with them. According to another version presented on social media, Kapkaniec and his sons were trading alcohol and a dispute arose between the killers and their victims over payment for the goods.
The court found the soldiers guilty. The trial took place behind closed doors because during it materials were revealed containing information about the deployment of Russian troops. The accused pleaded not guilty and announced an appeal, “Kommersant” reported.
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