Three Russian soldiers, believed to have committed war crimes against civilians in the occupied territories of Kharkiv Oblast, have been identified by Ukraine’s SBU security service and the National Police, the SBU reported on Telegram on Dec. 22.

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Two of the soldiers, Vitaliy Poddubnyi and Aleksey Gorbunov, are part of the 7th Separate Motor Rifle Regiment of the Russian Armed Forces, while the third, Ruslan Honcharov, is a member of the 202nd Motor Rifle Regiment. They have been charged with committing war crimes, and Poddubnyi has further been charged with committing pre-meditated murder.

These men are believed to have participated in the capture of the Kupyansk and Izium districts of Kharkiv Oblast and carried out punitive actions against local residents in the spring of 2022.

These “raids” against Ukrainian citizens are common in the occupied territories, and Russian occupation forces routinely abduct and murder Ukrainians under occupation, the SBU said.

Read also: Ukraine’s SBU accuses ‘Hero of Russia’ of war crimes in Bucha

Poddubnyi, Gorbunov, and Honcharov are said to have been committed this act in the Shevchenkivska community of the Kupyansk district, shooting a local farmer and them dismembering and burning the body. They are also suspected of breaking into civilian homes and stealing cars, household appliances, and money. The suspects are believed to have stolen 6 passenger and cargo vehicles in this way, hiding their looted goods in Russia.

The Russian occupation of parts of Kharkiv Oblast began on Feb. 24., 2022. Towns including Izium, Kupyansk, and Balakliya were captured by the invading Russian forces, though they were later liberated by a Ukrainian counteroffensive in September 2022. Kharkiv Oblast is now nearly completely liberated, but the threat of a new Russian offensive remains constant, stated Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council in December 2022.

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