Russian Major General Klimenko, who organised torture chambers for Russian military in Donetsk, killed in Ukraine
The eighth Russian general has been killed in Ukraine. He was accused of creating torture chambers for Russian soldiers. The circumstances of his death are still being clarified.
According to Censor.NET, this was reported by the BBC.
It is noted that Klimenko commanded the 5th Donetsk Motorised Rifle Brigade. This unit was created on the basis of the "Oplot" battalion in 2014 by the authorities of the self-proclaimed DPR with the participation of Russia. In 2023, the brigade, like most military formations created in the occupied territories of Ukraine, became part of the Russian armed forces.
The general's death was confirmed by a close relative during a conversation with the BBC.
Klimenko was accused of setting up torture chambers in Donetsk, where, according to media reports and relatives of the victims, Russian soldiers were tortured and their pay was taken away. The general's former subordinates also accused him of sending soldiers on "meat assaults".
Who is Pavel Klimenko?
Born in the Stavropol Krai, Klimenko graduated from the St Petersburg Higher General Military Command College and was assigned to a marine regiment in the Black Sea Fleet. In the late 1990s, he fought in Chechnya and then served on a large amphibious assault ship, took part in a naval campaign in the Mediterranean and strategic exercises in the Baltic Sea. He received his general's stripes in May 2024.
According to an investigation by ASTRA, Klimenko organised torture chambers for Russian soldiers on the territory of the abandoned Petrivska mine in occupied Donetsk. With Klimenko's permission, his subordinates forced other soldiers to give their salaries and wound payments to their commanders under torture.
Donetsk human rights defenders reported that the command of the 5th Brigade, which was led by the general, issued power of attorneys to their cronies and took payments even for the deaths of soldiers. Also, according to the relatives of the deceased, the sick were sent to the front line to participate in assaults instead of being treated.
Relatives of the dead soldiers continue to leave dozens of comments under the post about the general's death, accusing him of crimes and the deaths of their loved ones.
In May 2024, Klimenko was promoted to the rank of major general. A month earlier, soldiers of his 5th Brigade had reportedly killed Russell Bentley, an American working for Russian propaganda and fighting against Ukraine's defenders in Donbas, and tried to cover up the crime by blowing up his body. Four members of the brigade are under investigation in this case, but according to Bentley's widow, they intend to return to the front by signing new contracts.
Russia has not commented on the allegations against Klymenko.
