US charges four Russian soldiers with war crimes against American civilian in Ukraine – WSJ
US prosecutors announced the indictment of four Russian soldiers for war crimes committed against the American civilian who stayed in Ukraine during the first days of the all-out war,
Suren Seiranovich Mkrtchyan, 45, Dmitry Budnik, Valerii LNU (last name unknown), and Nazar LNU were each charged in connection with their unlawful detainment of a U.S. national in the context of the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The defendants are alleged to have interrogated, severely beaten, and tortured the victim. They also allegedly threatened to kill the victim and conducted a mock execution.
"As the world has witnessed the horrors of Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine, so has the United States Department of Justice," said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland.
"That is why the Justice Department has filed the first ever charges under the U.S. war crimes statute against four Russia- affiliated military personnel for heinous crimes against an American citizen. The Justice Department will work for as long as it takes to pursue accountability and justice for Russia's war of aggression."
Mkrtchyan and Budnik were commanders of Russian military units and the so-called 'Donetsk People's Republic,' while Valeriy and Nazar were lower-ranking military personnel. The defendants fought on the side of Russia against Ukraine.
In April 2022, Mkrtchyan and soldiers under his command allegedly abducted the victim, a US citizen, from his home in the village of Mylove in the Kherson region in southern Ukraine and unlawfully confined him for at least ten days.
During the abduction, Mkrtchyan, Valerii, Nazar, and others allegedly threw the victim face down to the ground while he was naked, tied his hands behind his back, pointed a gun at his head, and severely beat him, including with the stocks of their guns. Mkrtchyan, Valerii, Nazar, and others then allegedly transported the victim to an improvised military compound in Mylove.
"These charges reflect that the defendants' alleged actions are not only grave breaches of the Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, but also violations of U.S. law," said U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia.
The indictment also alleges that Mkrtchyan and Budnik led and participated in at least two interrogation sessions during which the four defendants and others tortured the victim. During one interrogation, Mkrtchyan, Valerii, and Nazar allegedly stripped off the victim's clothes and photographed him. The defendants and others then allegedly severely beat the victim pointed guns at the back of his head, and threatened to shoot him.
Budnik allegedly threatened the victim with death and asked for his last words. Shortly thereafter, Nazar and others allegedly conducted a mock execution. They allegedly forced the victim to the ground, put a gun to the back of his head, then moved the gun slightly and shot a bullet just past the victim's head.
The defendants are charged with three war crimes – unlawful confinement, torture, and inhuman treatment – and one count of conspiracy to commit war crimes. If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum penalty of life in prison.
