As part of the investigation of a criminal case on the recruitment and participation of mercenaries in the hostilities on the side of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in the last two weeks decisions have been issued to bring 18 more foreigners as defendants in absentia. . This was stated by the Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia, Alexander Bastrykin, at an operational meeting in Mariupol.
“Criminal proceedings are currently underway against 178 citizens from more than 30 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, the Italian Republic, the Kingdoms of Belgium, Denmark and Sweden, the Republics of Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, France and Estonia, the Netherlands, the Republics of Albania, Bulgaria, Korea, Namibia, Peru and Uzbekistan, the State of Israel, Georgia, the Federative Republic of Brazil and other countries”, Bastrykin listed.
He noted that the operational services “organized work to search for these people.”
The head of the department was also informed about the results of the investigation into the crimes of the kyiv regime. On the basis of the collected evidence, former Minister of Defense of Ukraine Andriy Zagorodniuk, former First Deputy Commander of the Joint Forces Operation – Head of the Joint Operations Headquarters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Ihor Tantsyure, and former Commander from the operational-tactical grouping of Ukrainian troops “Donetsk” Oleksandr Krasnook were indicted in absentia. Since 2016, as a result of their criminal actions, 27 civilians have been killed and more than 100 people have been injured.
The investigation revealed new crimes committed by members of the Azov regiment banned in the Russian Federation. It was established that in March 2022 in Mariupol, a serviceman from the Azov regiment Maxim Rozhevetsky shot an unknown woman on the street from a machine gun. Serhiy Mikhaylenko, a machine gunner in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who, together with department commander Zhuchkov (wanted), shot four civilians, including a child, in a VAZ, will also appear in court soon.
Also on the wanted list are senior sailor Dmitry Yegorov and junior sergeant Yuri Litvinenko, who killed several civilians in Mariupol last year.
