Service member who brutally beat fellow soldier in front of formation and then fled to stand trial – SBI. PHOTO
The State Bureau of Investigation has completed a pre-trial investigation into a service member who brutally beat a fellow soldier in front of a formation, later deserted his military unit, and hid from law enforcement officers.
The indictment has been sent to court.
Censor.NET reports this, citing the SBI press service.
Details of the beating
The incident occurred in the Dnipropetrovsk region on May 1, 2026. Despite holding the lowest military rank and having no authority whatsoever, the accused decided to "assert his authority" among the personnel by force. On his own initiative, he assembled the service members, ordered a fellow soldier against whom he harbored personal animosity out of the formation, and began brutally beating him.
After the victim lost consciousness from the numerous blows, the assailant tied his hands with plastic cable ties. When the service member regained consciousness, the beating continued.
The accused intimidated other service members who attempted to stop the violence and ordered one of them to record the beating on a mobile phone.
The victim was hospitalized and provided with the necessary medical assistance.
What does he face?
- After committing the offense, the service member deserted the unit and went into hiding. SBI officers, with the assistance of the Military Law Enforcement Service, the National Police, and the State Border Guard Service, located and detained him.
- The service member will stand trial on charges of torture (Part 1 of Article 127 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine), desertion (Part 4 of Article 408), and violation of the statutory rules governing relations between service members in the absence of a superior-subordinate relationship (Part 2 of Article 406).
- He is currently being held in custody at a military detention facility.
- The offenses are punishable by up to 12 years in prison.
- The Dnipro Specialized Prosecutor’s Office in the Defense Sector of the Eastern Region is overseeing the proceedings.
