Media identified Russian surgeons who had burned "Glory to Russia" on body of Ukrainian prisoner. PHOTO
The inscription "Glory to Russia" and the letter Z on the body of Ukrainian prisoner of war Andrii Pereverzev were made during an operation at the largest hospital in Donbas – the "Donetsk Clinical Territorial Medical Association" (DOKTMO). This inscription could have been left by Russian surgeons from the so-called "Friends of Donbas Medicine" group.
This is stated in an investigation by the "Schemes" project (Radio Svoboda), Censor.NET reports.
What did the journalists find out?
This inscription was made on the stomach of a Ukrainian defender on 24 February 2024 during an operation by Russian surgeons. We are talking about doctors Andrey Kryachko and Yury Kuznetsov, who work together in the same hospital in Krasnodar, but since the start of the full-scale invasion, they have been regularly visiting the DOKTMO, bringing humanitarian aid and performing operations.
- The initiator of the creation of the "Friends of Donbas Medicine" group is Moscow surgeon and State Duma deputy from "United Russia," Badma Bashankayev, who also comes to the Donetsk hospital to perform operations.
Chronology of events
In the summer of 2025, a photo appeared in the Ukrainian and world media showing the words "Glory to Russia" and the propaganda symbol of the Russian army, the letter Z, burned onto the stomach of a former Ukrainian prisoner.
In their investigation, journalists reconstructed the chronology of events: in February 2024, in the Donetsk region, Andrii Pereverzev, a soldier of the 79th separate airborne assault brigade, was wounded and taken prisoner, and representatives of the "DPR" group took him to occupied Donetsk.
After being imprisoned in a basement, the seriously injured soldier was taken to a medical facility, where he underwent his first operation. Pereverzev noticed the pro-Russian inscription on his stomach only a few days later, when he had recovered somewhat, according to the "Schemes" investigation.
At another hospital in Donetsk, where the soldier was later transferred, nurses said among themselves that the main operation was performed by a Russian doctor. And, most likely, he was an abdominal surgeon (operates on abdominal organs – ed.) – this opinion was expressed in an interview with "Schemes" by a Ukrainian doctor who is helping Pereverzev get rid of the burned inscription.
According to him, the inscription was made on the right side, where the chief surgeon usually works, and with a special medical instrument. Also, some former DOKTMO doctors, with whom journalists spoke, believe that Donetsk doctors would hardly have resorted to such an act.
"Friends of Donbas Medicine"
Journalists found out that Russian doctors appeared in the Donetsk hospital in the first weeks of the full-scale invasion – in particular, a group of two dozen Russian doctors called "Friends of Donbas Medicine" began working on a permanent basis. The initiator of its creation was Moscow surgeon Badma Bashankayev, a United Russia deputy from Kalmykia in the State Duma.
Bashankayev is under sanctions in Ukraine and around the world, including the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom. In Ukraine, a case was opened against him in 2022 for encroachment on territorial integrity, he was notified of suspicion, and a search warrant was issued for him.
In a post published on 24 February 2024, Bashankayev mentioned the Krasnodar doctors and reposted photos from the trip from Yury Kuznetsov's page. In them, he and Kryachko are unloading a car with so-called "humanitarian aid" near the surgical building.
That year, 24 February fell on a Saturday, a day off, journalists point out in their investigation. In one of the photos of Kuznetsov and Kryachko, taken in the office of the then deputy director of the hospital, Ivan Plakhotnikov, a calendar with a mark is visible.
It appears to be Saturday, and probably 24 February 2024, according to the journalists' investigation.
In an interview with "Schemes," Andrii Pereverzev noted that the entire Donetsk hospital knew about the mocking inscription, so in their investigation, journalists also name local doctors who may have been present during the soldier's operation or headed the department of the Donetsk hospital where he was held. These include the heads of two surgical departments, urology, intensive care and proctology, as well as the management of the DOKTMO.
The Office of the Prosecutor General informed "Schemes" that "criminal proceedings have been initiated on the fact of cruel treatment of Andrii Pereverzev" under Article 438 of the Criminal Code (violation of the laws and customs of war).
