Former employee of Russian penal colony accused of torturing Ukrainian POWs killed in car blast

A former employee of the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service accused in Ukraine of torturing prisoners of war has been killed in a car explosion near Tula, Russia.

Source: Novaya Gazeta Europe, an independent Russian newspaper; social media; Russian media outlet Vazhnye Istorii (Important Stories)

Details: Roman Syromyatnikov, a former Federal Penitentiary Service employee and combatant in Russia's war against Ukraine, was killed after a car exploded in Novomoskovsk, Tula Oblast.

His death was reported by local media outlet Novomoskovsk Segodnya, which described him as a teacher and writer who was involved in patriotic education for young people, as well as by the VChK-OGPU Telegram channel.

The car exploded on Druzhby Street in Novomoskovsk, Tula Oblast, on the morning of 2 October. Local residents said the vehicle continued to roll after the explosion and crashed into a pole. VChK-OGPU reported that the explosive device had been placed underneath the vehicle on the driver's side.

The Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine had previously published a notice informing Syromyatnikov that he was suspected of torturing Ukrainian prisoners of war at penal colony No. 1 in Tula Oblast. According to investigators, he participated in the torture of at least 50 Ukrainians in 2022. Investigators allege that Syromyatnikov and his colleagues beat prisoners with their hands, feet, batons, plastic pipes and hammers and used stun guns. Syromyatnikov himself allegedly also tortured prisoners with electric shocks.

Vazhnye Istorii reports that Syromyatnikov worked at institutions within the Tula region's Federal Penitentiary Service in the 2010s, listing his occupations as a psychologist and an inspector in the personnel department. In 2023, he signed a contract with the Russian Defence Ministry and fought against Ukraine as part of the 51st Regiment of the 106th Airborne Division. In November 2024, he returned to Tula Oblast for medical treatment.

Before and after fighting in the war, he taught personal safety at colleges in Novomoskovsk. As a member of the Combat Brotherhood organisation, he spoke to schoolchildren about his participation in the First Chechen War and the war against Ukraine.

Your support on Patreon helps us keep the news free and accessible.