Tortured Ukrainians during the occupation of Izium and Kherson: three Russian servicemen identified, one of them sentenced to life imprisonment
Kyiv • UNN
Two Russian servicemen who tortured a police officer in Izium and a Russian National Guardsman who tortured and killed a civilian in Kherson have been identified. The latter has been sentenced to life imprisonment.
Three Russian military personnel involved in torturing Ukrainians during the temporary occupation of Izium and Kherson have been identified, one of whom has been sentenced to life imprisonment, UNN reports with reference to the Prosecutor General's Office.
... two Russian servicemen who tortured a police officer during the occupation of Izium in the Kharkiv region have been identified, and the guilt of another Russian National Guardsman who tortured and killed a civilian in occupied Kherson has also been proven.
Torture of a police officer during the occupation of Izium
Under the procedural guidance of the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor's Office, two servicemen of the 27th separate motorized rifle brigade of the 1st tank army of the Western Military District of the Russian Federation were заочно (in absentia) notified of suspicion of cruel treatment of the civilian population and other violations of the laws and customs of war, committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy (Part 2 of Article 28, Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
The investigation established that in May 2022, during the occupation of Izium, the suspects seized a district police officer, who was in civilian clothes, and forcibly took him to the basement of one of the garages. There, they tortured the man for several days.
The victim was subjected to numerous blows with hands and feet all over his body, tortured with electric current, suffocated by putting a harness around his neck and cutting off oxygen supply, beaten with an iron rod and rubber batons. The occupiers inserted metal spokes into his nose and ears.
When the victim lost consciousness from unbearable pain, he was doused with cold water to bring him back to consciousness, and the beating continued. The victim's arm, which he tried to cover his head with when he was hit, was broken.
In between beatings, the occupiers again demanded information, but after receiving a refusal, they continued the abuse. They took the district officer outside, made him kneel, and beat him, pressing his head against the wall.
All this time, the victim was held without medical care, food, or water.
Later, the occupiers, promising to spare his life, demanded that the district officer hand over his service weapon.
Eventually, under threat of death, the victim was forced to reveal the location where he had hidden his service pistol. After that, he was released.
The suspects are on the wanted list.
Life imprisonment for torture and murder of a civilian in Kherson
Under the public prosecution of the Kherson Regional Prosecutor's Office, a serviceman of the Russian National Guard was found guilty of cruel treatment of the civilian population, combined with intentional murder, and other violations of the laws and customs of war, committed as part of a group of persons (Part 2 of Article 28, Part 1 of Article 438; Part 2 of Article 28, Part 5 of Article 27, Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
By court verdict, he was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Prosecutors proved that during the temporary occupation of Kherson, the convicted person ensured the functioning of a place of illegal detention of civilians, located in the premises of a temporary detention facility. The occupation forces used it as a torture chamber.
The convicted person escorted illegally detained Ukrainians to interrogations, where they were systematically tortured. In June 2022, he facilitated the intentional murder of one of the detained Ukrainian citizens: he guarded the cell door to prevent other prisoners from interfering or escaping. At this time, other Russian servicemen tortured the victim to death. Materials regarding two of them have been separated into a separate proceeding, and indictments have already been sent to court.