“Trostianets’ victims deserve justice, and its perpetrators, whether low-level foot soldiers or the commanders who ordered, facilitated, or ignored the crimes — must be held accountable.” — Dušan Jovanović.
During the first month of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the town of Trostianets in the Sumy region was not merely occupied — it was systematically brutalised. Summary executions, torture, enforced disappearances, the shelling of a hospital, and organised looting formed a clear pattern of grave international crimes.
In the op-ed for NV.ua, Dušan Jovanović, Legal Adviser and North Region Mobile Justice Team Lead, details how Ukrainian investigators uncovered evidence of coordinated abuses linked to specific Russian military units operating in and around Trostianets, including elements of the 1st Tank Army. These crimes were not random acts of violence, but part of a broader system of control, intimidation, and impunity.
Working with the Sumy Regional Prosecutor’s Office, Global Rights Compliance supports a regional mapping approach that connects crimes to concrete units, commanders, and chains of command. This methodology enables investigators to move beyond individual perpetrators and pursue responsibility at mid- and senior-command levels.
Trostenets shows that individuals who hold leadership positions in the occupation regime must be held accountable for crimes committed under their leadership, and that violations cannot be ignored.
GRC is part of the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group for Ukraine (ACA). The ACA is a multilateral initiative established by the United Kingdom, the European Union, and the United States to support and assist Ukrainian law enforcement and prosecutors in investigating and prosecuting international crimes committed during a full-scale war.
Read the full op-ed on NV.ua: https://cutt.ly/4tsBe1q9