Two Russian Soldiers Charged with Attempted Murder and Torture of Civilians in Bucha

Ukrainian police investigators have announced the charges against two additional servicemen of the Russian Armed Forces for their participation in the attempted murder and torture of civilians during the temporary occupation of Bucha, located in the Kyiv region, in 2022. This information was disclosed in an official statement by the National Police of Ukraine, published on Monday.

According to the information provided, the investigation has established that a Russian reconnaissance sniper opened fire on local residents who were attempting to bury a man killed by Russian forces near a multi-story building. This incident occurred in March 2022 while the occupiers were patrolling Yablonska Street. It is known that one of the men, in an attempt to escape the gunfire, began to flee towards a basement. However, the Russian soldier, realizing that he was targeting a civilian who posed no threat, began to shoot the victim in the head with his automatic rifle. Fortunately, the local resident managed to escape and hide in the basement.

The police reported that the suspect in this crime is a 35-year-old native of Pskov, who served as a reconnaissance sniper in the reconnaissance platoon of the 1st battalion tactical group of the 234th Air Assault Regiment of the 76th Air Assault Division of the Russian Airborne Forces (military unit 74268). This serviceman was directly involved in the armed aggression against Ukraine. It is important to note that this marks the fifth episode of holding this serviceman accountable for war crimes committed in Bucha.

Additionally, the National Police of Ukraine also announced the identification and collection of evidence concerning the commander of a platoon from the Pskov military unit, who humiliated and inflicted bodily harm on a local resident. According to the report, the occupiers, while in the courtyard of a multi-story building on Central Street, stopped a civilian man passing by. One of the Russian soldiers forced him to kneel, after which he began to beat and humiliate him.

According to the information, the assailant turned out to be a 37-year-old native of the Magadan region of Russia – the commander of a platoon and the commander of a combat vehicle in the communications unit of the 234th Air Assault Regiment of the 76th Air Assault Division of the Russian Airborne Forces (military unit 74268, Pskov). This serviceman was also directly involved in the armed aggression against Ukraine. In November 2025, he was already sentenced by a Ukrainian court to 11 years of imprisonment for similar crimes committed in the Bucha district.

The documentation of war crimes is being carried out by investigators from the relevant departments of the Main Investigative Department of the National Police of Ukraine, as well as a special investigative and operational group under the procedural guidance of the Office of the Prosecutor General. This reflects the systematic approach of Ukrainian law enforcement agencies to investigate crimes committed against civilians during the war and their commitment to seeking justice for the victims of aggression.