Case of three Russian soldiers torturing civilians in Kyiv region forwarded to court

"The autonomy's prosecutor's office sent an indictment to the court against three soldiers of the Russian Federation who illegally held and tortured civilians during the occupation of the Kyiv region. Their actions have been classified as a violation of the laws and customs of war (Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The article provides up to 12 years of imprisonment," the statement reads.

It has been established that the defendants -- the commander, deputy commander and soldier of a special forces unit of the Russian Federal National Guard Service in the Krasnoyarsk region -- together with other Russian servicemen, captured the village of Zdvyzhivka in the Bucha district in February-March 2022, where they deprived the civilian population of their freedom and tortured them.

According to the investigation, on March 19, 2022, near a private house in Zdvyzhivka, fighters led by the unit commander detained four civilians and forced them to lie on the ground. For intimidation, the occupiers shot the dog of one detainee.

The invaders took the victims to the outskirts of the village, where they tied their hands, wrapped their heads with adhesive tape and kept them in inhumane conditions.

One of the defendants, together with other Russian military personnel, took one of the detainees to the forest, where he tortured him, forcing him to confess to cooperation with the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The invader threatened to kill the man, simulating his drowning in a well, shooting, and burning. He fired several shots from a machine gun and doused the victim with flammable liquid. In addition, the man was kicked and beaten with various objects.