Russian anthem and mockery: Chief of Staff to be tried for torture in Kherson

A pseudo-policeman who participated in the torture of a civilian during the occupation of Kherson will be tried for a war crime. The indictment against the collaborator has already been submitted to the court.

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

Prosecutors of the Kherson Regional Prosecutor's Office have submitted to the court an indictment against a resident of Melitopol who worked in an illegal "law enforcement" body created by the Russian authorities during the occupation. He is accused of cruel treatment of civilians, committed together with other persons.

According to the investigation, after the start of the full-scale invasion, the man took the position of the so-called "chief of staff" in the "city department of the Melitopol district department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Zaporizhzhia region".

In the summer of 2022, in occupied Kherson, he and the Russian military detained a local resident on the street. The man was demanded to tell them where his relative was. To protect his family, he deliberately gave a different address.

When the occupiers found out that he had deceived them, they took him to the pier, handcuffed him to a metal pipe and severely beat him. After that, the victim was brought to the city center. On the stairs of the seized administrative building, he was beaten, subjected to physical violence, psychological pressure and forced to sing the Russian national anthem.

Later, on the order of a pseudo-police officer, the man was thrown into a sewer shaft of one of the hospitals, about five meters deep. Inside, there was no ventilation, normal sleeping conditions, or the ability to use the toilet. Food and water were provided in a minimal amount. He spent about a week in such conditions. Later, the exhausted man was left in the open air.

The Kherson City Court also sentenced an employee of the Russian Federal Security Service in absentia, finding him guilty of violating the laws and customs of war. The convict is the son of Vyacheslav Zanevsky, the former head of security for fugitive President Viktor Yanukovych.

Анна Бальчінос