A Russian National Guard officer tortured a man from Kherson who had been detained at a checkpoint near the Antonivsky Bridge

A member of the Russian National Guard is suspected of torturing a Kherson resident whom Russian military personnel detained at a checkpoint near the Antonivsky Bridge during the occupation of the city. He has been charged in absentia.

This was reported by the Kherson Regional Prosecutor’s Office.

According to the investigation, the suspect was a rifleman in the special operations company of the 143rd Regiment of the Russian National Guard. In June 2022, he participated in the unlawful detention of a local resident.

The man was detained at a Russian checkpoint near the Antonivsky Bridge. After his documents were checked, he was forcibly taken to the seized Temporary Detention Center No. 1.

The victim spent five days in the cell. During that time, he was taken out for interrogation several times and pressured to disclose any possible ties to Ukrainian security forces.

According to the case file, a Russian National Guard officer escorted the man to the duty room at least three times. There, together with another Russian military officer, he interrogated the victim and demanded information from his phone.

When the answers did not satisfy the occupiers, they resorted to force. The suspect punched the man in the face, ribs, and arms. The other soldier used a rubber baton and a stun gun.

As a result of the torture, the victim lost consciousness several times. He suffered a broken nose and was diagnosed with neurosensory hearing loss.

The Rosgvardia officer was notified in absentia of his status as a suspect in the cruel treatment of civilians and other violations of the laws and customs of war committed by a group of individuals.

According to the prosecutor’s office, this Rosgvardia officer is not the first identified participant in the crimes committed at the captured Detention Center No. 1.

The investigation has already identified 26 Russian military personnel and Russian accomplices linked to the activities of the torture chamber.

Courts have already handed down guilty verdicts against three of them. They were sentenced to life imprisonment, as well as 12 and 10 years in prison.

Law enforcement officials continue to identify other individuals who may have been involved in the unlawful detention and torture of civilians in Kherson.

Ірина Глухова