Law enforcement officers have identified five more Russian servicemen involved in the execution of three Ukrainian defenders on the premises of the Vovchansk Aggregate Plant in the summer of 2024, UNN reports, citing the Office of the Prosecutor General.
Details
As reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General, the suspects include a battalion commander who issued orders to kill prisoners, a senior officer at the position who relayed them to his subordinates, the direct perpetrator of the executions, and two accomplices.
In June 2024, a Ukrainian serviceman, having become disoriented during combat, found himself at the occupiers’ positions and surrendered because of the enemy’s numerical superiority. After interrogating him, Russian servicemen with the call signs "Kot" and "Altai" reported to the senior officer at the position, "Krasavchik," who had received an order from the battalion commander, "Yenot," to kill the prisoner. On his instructions, the defender was taken to the plant’s checkpoint, where "Kot" shot him in the head, while "Altai" guarded the perimeter.
In early July, following a similar scheme, the occupiers executed two more Ukrainian servicemen who had been captured during fighting in Vovchansk. They were interrogated after being tied to poles and, following an order from "Yenot," relayed through "Krasavchik," were taken to a pumping station. There, "Kot" and "Altai" shot each of them in the back of the head. Both defenders died at the scene. Two more servicemen with the call signs "Koba" and "Voodoo" escorted the prisoners and guarded the area.
Prosecutors reported that the roles of the perpetrators were established through testimony, radio intercepts, information from electronic devices, and recordings from unmanned aerial vehicles.
Five Russian servicemen have been notified in absentia that they are suspected of the following:
• "Yenot" and "Krasavchik" — of issuing orders to violate the laws and customs of war, combined with intentional murder;
• "Kot" — of violating the laws and customs of war, combined with intentional murder committed by a group of persons acting in prior conspiracy;
• "Koba" and "Voodoo" — of aiding and abetting the commission of this crime.
The actions of the suspects have been classified under Part 2 of Article 438, Part 5 of Article 27, and Part 2 of Article 28 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, in the version in force before October 24, 2024, according to the role of each individual.
Another participant in the executions — Serhii Tuzhylov, with the call sign "Altai" — was previously sentenced to life imprisonment. His defense attorney is currently appealing the verdict in the appellate court.