Under the procedural guidance of the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor's Office, a soldier of the 4th company of the 4th battalion of the 204th rifle regiment of the mobilization reserve "LNR" of the 2nd army corps of the 8th combined arms army of the Southern Military District of the Russian Armed Forces has been notified of suspicion for cruel treatment of civilians and violation of the laws and customs of war, committed in conspiracy by a group of individuals (Part 2 of Article 28, Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine as amended in 2022).

According to the investigation, in March 2022, during the temporary occupation of the village of Kapitolivka in the Izium district, the suspect, along with other Russian soldiers, conducted illegal searches in the private households of local residents.

Threatening with firearms, the occupiers forced people to hand over vehicles, generators, food supplies, and even personal belongings. Any resistance was suppressed by force, using psychological pressure, intimidation, and threats of murder. Civilians lived in constant fear, their lives turned into a struggle for survival from one moment to the next.

Victims were predominantly chosen among those who refused to accept the so-called "humanitarian aid" from Russia. They took away people's food supplies and even livestock: one resident was forced to give up elite breed pigs, slaughter them, and load them into a vehicle.

In several cases, the criminals did not limit themselves to robbery. Civilians were kidnapped, held in basements, and tortured.

One of the victims had 1 hryvnia forcibly shoved into his mouth by the occupiers. They threatened that if the man removed the "gag," he would be shot. However, after inhumane detention in a cellar, he was eventually released. This crime was committed by the suspect in collaboration with another occupier involved in the murder of Ukrainian children's writer Volodymyr Vakulenko. Judicial proceedings are already underway against the accomplice.

The issue of announcing the suspect in search is being resolved.

The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by the Investigative Department of the Main Directorate of the National Police in the Kharkiv region. Operational support is provided by the Criminal Investigation Department of the Main Directorate of the National Police in the Kharkiv region.

Note: according to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a lawful manner and established by a guilty verdict of the court.