Russian who killed five servicemen of 72nd Separate Mechanised Brigade in Kharkiv region detained. PHOTO
Law enforcement officers tracked down and detained a man suspected of shooting dead five Ukrainian servicemen in the Kharkiv region in less than 24 hours. He was identified as a Russian citizen serving in the Russian army.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) and the Prosecutor General’s Office reported this, according to Censor.NET.
Who was detained
According to the SBU, National Police and National Guard, the detainee is a 36-year-old native of St. Petersburg serving in the Russian Armed Forces’ 1009th Motor Rifle Regiment. He had previously been convicted of a crime in Russia. The Prosecutor General’s Office clarified that the man served in the regiment’s 2nd Battalion.
He was detained in Kharkiv on the evening of October 14. His possible involvement in the killings is currently being investigated.
What investigators say
Investigators believe the man may have been part of a Russian military sabotage and reconnaissance group and changed into civilian clothes to disguise himself. He first reached the Tsyrkuny community, where he saw a local resident fishing near a body of water. According to preliminary information, the attacker feared being exposed and killed the man. An examination of the body revealed a gunshot wound that passed through his head.
- On October 13, the armed man reached the village of Momotove in the Kharkiv district, entered a private house where Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel were temporarily staying, and opened fire on them. Five soldiers from the 72nd Brigade were killed. He then left the scene, disposed of his automatic weapon and walked through a tree belt towards Kharkiv.
What happens next
Urgent investigative actions are underway to establish all the circumstances. Prosecutors are considering entering information into the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations under Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code (violation of the laws and customs of war) and serving a formal notice of suspicion. SSU investigators will conduct the subsequent pre-trial investigation under the procedural supervision of prosecutors from the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office.
- As a reminder, on October 13, an unidentified person opened fire with an automatic weapon in the Kharkiv region and killed five servicemen who were inside a residential building.
