Investigators have notified a Russian commander that he is a suspect in the case involving crimes in Bucha
On July 1, the National Police of Ukraine announced that it had charged the commander of a Russian unit whom investigators believe was involved in mass killings, torture, and acts of terror against the civilian population in Bucha. According to investigators, at least 22 civilians were killed as a result of his subordinates’ actions.
The pre-trial investigation established that the Russian officer designated a section of Yablunska Street in Bucha as a sector within which he ordered his subordinates to use all types of weapons and kill anyone found in that area.
Aware that civilians remained in the city, he failed to take appropriate measures to prevent crimes against civilians. Moreover, through his orders and inaction, he created conditions under which his subordinates acted with the knowledge that they would face no consequences.
As a result of the execution of this order and other criminal acts committed by members of the reconnaissance platoon in March 2022, 22 Ukrainian civilians were killed.
In addition, investigators documented nine instances of cruel treatment of civilians. Among the established crimes were - unlawful detentions, torture to extract information, beatings, the use of firearms against unarmed civilians, death threats, holding the civilian population in inhumane conditions, as well as other gross violations of the laws and customs of war.
During the investigation, police determined that reconnaissance sniper Artem Dementyev and senior reconnaissance sniper Kirill Kryuchkov were directly involved in a series of war crimes.
Based on the evidence gathered, Artem Tarayev has been notified of the charges against him. He faces life imprisonment, according to the National Police of Ukraine.
Nursultan Mussagaleev, a former combatant in the war against Ukraine whom Ukrainian law enforcement suspects of involvement in the killings of civilians in Bucha, placed second in the “United Russia” party primaries in the Orenburg region.
Following inspections in May, the two largest payment terminal networks—EasyPay (LLC “FC ‘Kontraktovy Dom’”) and City24 (LLC “Swift Garant”)—were hit with massive fines: 135 million hryvnias each.
