Russian soldier is wanted for torture of Kherson region residents

In Mykolaiv, a court has authorized a special pre-trial investigation into a Russian serviceman suspected of ill-treatment of civilians during the temporary occupation of Kherson region.

This was reported by the Center for Public Investigations.

According to the investigation, in March 2022, the suspect, together with other servicemen of the 3rd Battalion of the 127th Rifle Regiment of the so-called "DNR," illegally set up a checkpoint near the village of Muzykivka. There, they stopped a civilian car carrying residents of Kherson region, checked their documents and used physical violence. The victims were beaten and kicked and threatened with weapons.

After the beatings, the military put the victims in the luggage compartment of the car and transported them to the territory of the seized building, where they were held in inhumane conditions without food, water, or access to medical care.

One of the soldiers put a plastic bag over the victim's head in an attempt to cut off the air and kicked him repeatedly. At night, they were transferred to another facility in the village of Barativka, Bashtanka district, Mykolaiv region, where they spent a day in an oxygen tank enclosure.

As a result of these actions, the victim sustained severe injuries: closed rib fractures, bruises to the kidneys and soft tissues, a thermal burn and numerous bruises. All of these actions fall under the qualifications of torture and violations of the laws and customs of war, which are prohibited by international treaties to which Ukraine is a party.

The suspect was put on the wanted list, and investigators received permission to conduct a special pre-trial investigation to clarify all the circumstances of the case and document the evidence. The suspect's actions are classified under Part 2 of Article 28 and Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - cruel treatment of civilians and violation of the laws and customs of war.

These articles provide for 8 to 12 years in prison. At the same time, such actions are considered war crimes, and in the case of particularly grave consequences, the punishment can reach life imprisonment.

In October, the SBU in Kherson detained a local collaborator who worked for the Russian invaders during the occupation and was involved in the torture of city residents. He was appointed a "junior inspector" in the seized Kherson pre-trial detention center, where he received weapons and Russian-style uniforms and guarded the cells where members of the Resistance Movement were brought for torture.

Анна Бальчінос