Prosecutor's Office serves suspicion notice to FSB officer for torturing civilian in Kherson region

The FSB officer was notified in absentia of suspicion of violating the laws and customs of war. He, along with other Russian soldiers, tortured a civilian resident of Skadovsk district for several hours: they beat him, threatened him with a knife and shot him in the leg.

This was reported by the press service of the Kherson Regional Prosecutor's Office.

The Kherson Regional Prosecutor's Office has served a notice of suspicion in absence to an FSB officer of cruel treatment of civilians and other violations of the laws and customs of war. He is charged with actions under Part 2 of Article 28 and Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

According to the investigation, in April 2022, a group of at least 30 Russian soldiers came to the home of a resident of a village in Skadovsk district. After a search, the man was tied up, blindfolded and taken to the basement of a seized recreation center.

In the basement, the suspect interrogated the victim, demanding information about locals who could help the Armed Forces of Ukraine. When the victim did not respond, the FSB officer threatened "much more severe consequences."

On his instructions, the man was chained to a pipe, after which he and an accomplice used sexual violence, beat the victim on the head and torso, simulated execution with shots from a firearm and threatened him with a knife.

The torture lasted for about an hour and a half: another soldier, at the direction of the suspect, put a bag over the man's head, blocking his breathing until the victim lost consciousness, after which the abuse was repeated.

Later, the victim was transferred to another room, where the Russian military officer shot him in the leg in the presence of the suspect. The bullet hit the body tangentially, causing bodily injuries and a short-term health disorder. The man was released only in the evening.

The Kherson Prosecutor's Office also served two more people with a notice of suspicion - the so-called head of the Holoprystan police and a member of the illegal group. Together with the Russian military, they beat the man until he lost consciousness, trying to extract information from him that he did not have. After the torture, he was kept in a basement without furniture, in complete unsanitary conditions, without light, water, food and the ability to meet basic needs.

Анна Бальчінос