Torture and murder of civilians in Kharkiv region — investigators document crimes of Russian military in de-occupied territories
Law enforcement agencies carry out thorough systematic work to identify and record all facts of war crimes committed by the Russian occupiers against the civilian population of the region in order to create a reliable evidence base and bring the perpetrators to justice.
After the liberation of the village of Grakovo in Chuguevsky district, a local resident contacted the police, who said that during the occupation in March, the Russians forced him to bury two men with gunshot wounds and inflicted injuries.
According to the head of the GUNP in the Kharkiv region Vladimir Timoshko, law enforcement officers promptly responded to citizens' messages. The police, together with the prosecutor's office, immediately began to work in the liberated territories. The police chief also warned that the area was still very dangerous.
The village was significantly damaged by the actions of the Russian military, almost every building has traces of destruction and damage from explosions of enemy bombs and shells. All houses before conducting investigative actions are carefully looked after by explosives specialists for the presence of dangerous explosive devices or substances. Inspections of the scene are always carried out with the obligatory observance of personal safety measures of each member of the investigative task force and forensic experts.
On September 9, investigators of the Chuguev RUP, forensic experts of the investigative department of the GUNP in the Kharkiv region under the procedural guidance of the Chuguev District Prosecutor's Office conducted investigative actions on the territory of the settlement of Grakovo, Kharkiv region. The removal of two bodies from the burial place took place in the presence of journalists of Ukrainian and foreign media.
According to the head of the investigative department of the GUNP in the Kharkiv region Sergey Bolvinov, during the inspection information about gunshot wounds and injuries on the bodies of buried people was confirmed. The identities of the dead have not been identified. The bodies are referred for forensic examination.
There is also information that several more people may be buried in the village. Work to identify the remains of the dead is ongoing.
Investigators of Chuguev District Administration opened criminal proceedings under Part 2 of Art. 438 (violation of laws and customs of war) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The sanction of the article provides for from 8 to 12 years in prison.
According to the investigative department of the GUNP in the Kharkiv region, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian occupiers on the territory of Ukraine, the investigative bodies of the Kharkiv region registered 1940 war crimes, 32 people were reported suspected of committing them, and 12 indictments were sent to court.
Police Communication Department of Kharkiv Oblast
