Identities of 13 Russian commanders implicated in Bucha war crimes revealed
British outlet The Sunday Times has published information on 13 Russian commanders accused of committing war crimes in Bucha in early 2022.
Source: The Sunday Times
Details: The identities of the commanders were established by independent lawyers and investigators using open-source intelligence, and all 13 individuals were verified by Ukrainian law enforcement.
Names of eight commanders were confirmed by Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office and supported by official suspicion notices issued by Kyiv as a preliminary step towards possible legal proceedings in domestic courts and the International Criminal Court. While five others were identified through suspicion notices issued for their subordinates, with cross-referencing to publicly available Russian military records. These officers do not have individual notices of suspicion.
The outlet noted that over 80 soldiers under their joint command have already been officially identified as suspects in crimes committed in Bucha. Many more participated but remain unidentified.
The names of the suspected commanders were confirmed using information from legal experts at the Global Rights Compliance foundation.
At the top of the list is Colonel General Aleksandr Chayko, who commanded the Eastern Military District at the start of the war in Ukraine. Prior to this, he led Russian forces in Syria and was sanctioned by the UK for ordering strikes on hospitals and schools in Idlib, resulting in the deaths of 1,600 civilians.
One of the mid-level commanders was Sergei Chubarykin, now a major general, who at the time reported directly to Chayko. He commanded the 76th Guards Air Assault Division, part of the Eastern Military District. Like Chayko, he served in Syria in support of the Bashar al-Assad regime. The troops under his command allegedly committed most of the war crimes in Bucha, including executions, torture and mass looting.
Both Chayko and Chubarykin have been charged with committing war crimes.
Reporting to them was Artyom Gorodilov, commander of the 234th Air Assault Regiment.
Gorodilov has not been served with a suspicion notice, but sources within the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) said they believe he was complicit in the crimes committed by his subordinates. An analysis of Ukrainian legal documents showed that troops under his command were accused of committing at least 40 war crimes during the month-long occupation of Bucha – the highest number among all units stationed in the area. The crimes included killings, looting and rape. Documents listing Russian officers by their call signs included evidence that he operated under the alias Uran.
Lieutenant Colonel Azatbek Omurbekov was one of the most brutal commanders deployed in Bucha during the occupation. He is the head of the 64th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, an elite infantry unit, he had previously been identified and sanctioned by eight different jurisdictions, and a suspicion notice had also been issued against him.
The UK sanctions list accuses Omurbekov of direct command over troops involved in the killing of civilians in Bucha. The US stated that he personally committed gross human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings.
The article also mentions Nilolai Sokovikov, a 28-year-old lieutenant of the 5th Guards Tank Brigade, who was convicted in absentia and sentenced to life imprisonment after a trial in Kyiv.
Using Russian military archives, legal experts determined that Sokovikov's commander was Colonel Andrei Kondrov, head of the 5th Guards Tank Brigade, who is listed among the 13 commanders. He was identified by the SSU, although no personal suspicion notice has been issued against him.
Other Russian commanders named in the article include: Colonel General Aleksandr Sanchik, Colonel General Valery Solodchuk, Colonel Yury Medvedev, Lieutenant Colonel Denis Suvorov, Colonel Aleksei Tolmachet, Major General Vladimir Seliverstov, Major General Vadim Pankov, and Colonel Sergei Karasev.
Background:
- In November 2022, Associated Press published an investigation into the mass killings in Bucha carried out by Russian troops in early March.
- In December 2022, journalists from The New York Times identified dozens of Russian soldiers who killed civilians in Bucha, specifically fighters from the 234th Air Assault Regiment.
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