Russian battalion commander used prisoners and women as a “human shield” for retreat: he was identified

In Sumy region, law enforcement officers identified a Russian commander who ordered the use of Ukrainian prisoners and civilian women to cover the retreat of a Russian column from the region. He was reported in absentia on suspicion of violating the laws and customs of war.

This was reported by the Prosecutor General’s Office.

It is noted that on March 1, 2022, about 300 Russian military personnel on 45 pieces of equipment retreated from Sumy region towards the state border of Ukraine.

According to the investigation, the commander ordered six Ukrainian prisoners of war and two civilian women to be put in a car that was driving ahead of the Russian column. The occupiers hoped that the Ukrainian military would not open fire because of the threat to the lives of the prisoners and civilians.

The suspect is 45 years old, a native of the Kaluga region of the Russian Federation. At the time of the crime, the man commanded a battalion of the 1st Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 2nd Motorized Rifle Division of the 1st Tank Army of the Russian Federation.

He was informed in absentia of suspicion under Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — violation of the laws and customs of war. The sanction of the article provides for 8 to 12 years of imprisonment.

The investigation also involved the mobile justice team “North” of the international organization Global Rights Compliance. Together with Ukrainian law enforcement officers, they collected, systematized, and analyzed evidence in the case.

The GRC mobile teams operate within the framework of the Advisory Group on Core International Crimes, which was established with the participation of the US, EU and UK to support Ukrainian prosecutors and law enforcement in investigating international crimes.