The SSU Military Counterintelligence, the State Bureau of Investigations, and the Office of the Prosecutor General have collected evidence against a senior National Guard of Ukraine rifleman who abused other Ukrainian prisoners of war whilst held captive by russia.

According to the investigation, the soldier collaborated with the enemy after being taken prisoner by the russians in June 2022. He was then appointed the so-called ‘groundskeeper’ for the second floor of barracks No. 8 at the ‘Kalinin penal colony No. 27’ in the temporarily occupied city of Horlivka, Donetsk region.

In this ‘position’, the perpetrator treated other prisoners of war cruelly. Acting on the invaders’ instructions, he subjected Ukrainians to regular psychological pressure, threatened them with violence and forced them to perform strenuous physical labour.

It has been established that one Ukrainian prisoner of war died as a result of torture, while dozens of others sustained bodily injuries of varying severity.

In March 2025, the suspect was released as part of a prisoner exchange between Ukraine and russia. Since then, the law enforcement team has gathered numerous witness statements from individuals who were imprisoned alongside him.

During a search of the suspect’s home, a smartphone containing evidence of his crimes was found.

Based on the documented facts, he has been notified of his status as a suspect under Article 431.2 of the CCU (violence or cruel treatment of other prisoners of war by a prisoner of war who is senior to them).

The suspect is in custody and faces up to eight years’ imprisonment.