A Ukrainian volunteer was tortured and raped: three militants were informed of suspicion

Law enforcement officers have reported suspicions to three militants of the Russian group Igor Bezler (“Bes”), who are suspected of torturing and ill-treating a Ukrainian volunteer captured in 2014.

This was reported by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

According to the GUR, suspicions were announced by the procedural leadership of the Prosecutor General’s Office against Valery Otchenko, Yuriy Mikulin, and Vasya Khambulatov. They were established within the framework of the “Book of Executioners of the Ukrainian People” project.

According to the investigation, in June 2014, a Ukrainian volunteer, together with three acquaintances, evacuated civilians from the Luhansk region. They were detained near Rovenki by militants of the so-called “Anthracite military commandant’s office” and taken to occupied Horlivka on June 22.

In the torture chambers of the “Besa” group, prisoners were brutally tortured. The investigation claims that the militants used hammers, screwdrivers, pliers and other objects. The volunteer suffered numerous fractures and injuries, and also lost the phalanx of the little finger of her left hand. She was released from captivity only at the end of September 2014.

All three were informed of suspicion of cruel treatment of the civilian population and violation of the laws and customs of war, committed by a group of persons in a prior conspiracy (Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

The GUR emphasized that torture, inhumane treatment, and unlawful deprivation of liberty are gross violations of international humanitarian law and qualify as war crimes.

The intelligence agency also stated that they continue to identify all those involved in crimes against Ukrainians and emphasized that every Russian war criminal and member of illegal armed formations controlled by the Kremlin will be held accountable.