The basement became a place of execution: Russian soldiers shot a family in Zvanivka
Російські загарбники
On October 20, 2025, a terrible tragedy occurred in the village of Zvanivka, Bakhmut district. The couple and their adult son were hiding from shelling in the basement of a private house, while the younger son went to the neighbors to get water. It was at this time that Russian military personnel burst into the shelter. They began interrogating the family, demanding to know where the Ukrainian military were. Having received no answer, the occupants left the premises.
However, one of the invaders soon returned and opened fire with a machine gun on unarmed people, according to the Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor’s Office.
Believing everyone dead, he left the scene. A 57-year-old woman, who miraculously survived, regained consciousness and saw that her husband and son had been killed. Uneasy about the fate of her youngest son, she went to a nearby basement – there she found his body next to the dead neighbors: a 62-year-old woman and her 30-year-old son.
Despite a wound to the jaw, the victim managed to reach Ukrainian-controlled territory, where she received medical care. Prosecutors questioned the woman and documented her testimony as evidence of yet another war crime by Russian soldiers against civilians.
Under the procedural guidance of the Donetsk Regional Prosecutor’s Office, a pre-trial investigation has been initiated under Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – violation of the laws and customs of war, which led to the death of people.
Law enforcement officers are currently conducting urgent investigative and search operations to establish all the details of the tragedy and identify specific Russian servicemen involved in this crime.
We will remind you that some time ago, in the temporarily occupied part of the Kharkiv region, a Russian soldier shot three civilians in the entrance of a residential building.
It was also previously reported that the Security Service of Ukraine had identified the Russian commander who gave the order to shoot civilians in the Kupyansk direction.
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