Russian Police Officer Charged for Torturing Civilians in Kherson

Investigators of the Kherson police served a notice of suspicion to a Russian police officer who was involved in the illegal detention and imprisonment of a civilian resident of Kherson. This police officer participated in operations during the occupation of the city and delivered civilians to torture chambers where they were tortured.

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

According to information received from the Criminal Investigation Department of the regional police headquarters, the suspect is a 31-year-old resident of Rostov-on-Don. At the time of his stay in occupied Kherson, he held the position of senior police sergeant and was an operative in the combat department of the special rapid response unit "Vega" of the Rostov Region Department of the Russian Guard.

As part of the pre-trial investigation, it became known that on July 25, 2022, this police officer, together with a group of about 25 Russian military personnel, entered the apartment of a 56-year-old resident of the Dniprovsky district of Kherson. During the search, he used physical force and threatened the man with a weapon, detaining him. After that, the victim was taken to the temporary detention center of the regional police headquarters, where the occupants had set up a torture chamber.

In this detention center, the police officer and two Russian soldiers, using violence and arm-twisting, illegally imprisoned the victim. The detention was carried out in harsh conditions, where there was no proper ventilation, and food was served only once a day in limited quantities. The detainee was also prohibited from performing hygiene procedures and was not provided with medical care. These conditions led to the death of the Kherson man five days after his detention.

As a result of the investigative actions, the Kherson police, in agreement with the regional prosecutor's office, charged the Russian policeman with violations of the laws and customs of war committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy. For such actions, he was notified of suspicion under articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which provide for punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of eight to twelve years.

Also, a colonel of the Russian Guard who headed the so-called commandant's office in Skadovsk district during the occupation of Kherson region was identified. This military officer personally participated in the torture and interrogation of local residents, including one of the representatives of local self-government, from whom he tried to extract information about the work of the municipal guard and persons who owned weapons.

In addition, the Suvorovskyi District Court of Odesa sentenced Mykola Nasedkin, a resident of Nova Kakhovka, Kherson region, who worked in the local "police" during the Russian occupation. According to the investigation, in 2022, Nasedkin headed a temporary detention center, a torture chamber, which the occupiers set up in the seized police station in Nova Kakhovka.

Анна Бальчінос