Defector tortured and threatened to shoot residents of Kherson region and received suspicion

An employee of the Russian FSB was notified of suspicion of torture and death threats against civilians in Genichesk, Kherson region. He is charged with high treason and war crimes, which could lead to life imprisonment.

This was reported by the press service of the National Police in the Kherson region.

Law enforcement officers in Kherson region have identified a representative of the Russian FSB who, after the occupation of the region, participated in suppressing the resistance of the local population in Genichesk. He is a native of Poltava region, who lived in Crimea before the full-scale invasion and served in the so-called FSB department for the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol.

According to the investigation, in the spring of 2022, two residents of Henichesk were detained at a Russian checkpoint and taken to a torture chamber set up in the basement of an educational institution. There, the men were subjected to physical and psychological violence. One of the detainees was beaten, strangled with a metal object, his fingers were simulated to be cut off and information about the Ukrainian military and security forces was demanded.

Later, an FSB officer ordered the Russian military to take the prisoners to the yard, where he threatened to kill them and ordered them to be buried. Eventually, the victims were released, but the events became the subject of a criminal investigation.

The defendant was charged with high treason (Part 2 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code) and war crimes (Part 1 of Article 438, as part of an organized group - Part 2 of Article 28 of the Criminal Code). He has now been served a notice of suspicion in absentia. If proven guilty, he faces life imprisonment with confiscation of property. The pre-trial investigation is ongoing.

Kherson police investigators also served a notice of suspicion on a Russian police officer involved in the unlawful detention and imprisonment of a Kherson civilian. He participated in operations during the occupation of the city and delivered civilians to places of torture. In this detention center, the police officer, along with two Russian military officers, forcibly detained and imprisoned the victim, using physical violence and breaking his arms. Five days after his arrest, the man died.

Анна Бальчінос