Donetsk, Apr 7 — DAN. Russia’s Investigative Committee (SK) has completed the investigation into 30 criminal cases against Ukrainian servicemen, the SK press service reported following a briefing in Donetsk chaired by SK chief Alexander Bastrykin.
“From March 22 though April 5, the SK referred another 30 criminal cases to the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office, ” the press service said. “The SK is prosecuting 48 Ukrainians including nationalists from the ‘Azov’ regiment (the organization is banned in the territory of the Russian Federation), and servicemen of 36th and 56th Brigades, Ukraine’s National Guard and Border Service.”
The gunmen have been charged with violence to life and person of 98 civilians, 72 of which died. The SK passed six criminal cases to the Supreme Court of the Donetsk People’s Republic.
Investigators said that the Ukrainian servicemen in question, led by “Azov” commanders in February — April 2022, prevented the evacuation of civilians from the zone of fighting and killed the people who approached their positions or whom they suspected of helping the Russian forces.
In one of the episodes, serviceman Zavaletsky, driven by hate against pro-Russian population, killed six civilians.
“In March 2022, ‘Azov’ member Pyurko who organized a position in the attic of a single-family home in Mariupol, used his sniper rifle to shoot and kill a civilian in the house opposite. On March 5, Pyurko (call sign ‘Frost’), fired a grenade launcher at an apartment building. He took a video of his attack in order to post it with the allegation that Russia targeted residential areas, the SK said.
Earlier reports said that the SK had brought charges against former Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak in connection with artillery attacks on Donbass.*jk