The Kharkov Provincial Prosecutor’s Office announced the arrest of a Russian soldier on October 14, accused of killing five Ukrainian servicemen and one civilian. The 36-year-old suspect, from St. Petersburg, served in the 2nd Battalion of the 1009th Motorized Rifle Regiment.

According to the Kharkov Provincial Prosecutor’s Office, on October 13, the suspect arrived in Momotove village on the outskirts of Kharkov city. He entered a house and fatally shot five servicemen from Ukraine’s 72nd Mechanized Brigade. The Russian serviceman then left the scene, discarded his automatic weapon, and continued through the forest towards Kharkov until his arrest.

The suspect (left) was arrested on October 14. Photo: SBU

The suspect is also believed to have killed a man fishing in Tsyrkuny village, about 16 km from the Ukraine-Russia border, to conceal his identity. An autopsy revealed a gunshot wound to the victim’s head.

Ukraine’s Glavkom news site previously reported that a man in civilian clothes approached a building housing members of the 72nd Brigade. He shot dead one serviceman outside, then entered and killed four more soldiers. This incident occurred while police were searching for two Russian prisoners who had escaped from detention in Kharkov province.

A BBC Ukraine source at the Kharkov provincial command confirmed the suspect was a Russian prisoner of war. Ukraine’s Suspilne television also cited sources indicating investigators are considering the possibility that he was an escaped Russian prisoner.

Ukraine’s 72nd Brigade confirmed a “tragic event” occurred in Kharkov province on October 13, resulting in the deaths of its members.

Russia’s Defense Ministry has not commented on the incident.

Servicemen believed to be Russian prisoners of war in a video posted by Ukraine’s 3rd Corps on 28/9. Screenshot

Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (KShPPV) stated on October 6 that in the first eight months of this year, Ukraine captured 856 more Russian prisoners than the number of Ukrainian prisoners held by Russia.

According to KShPPV, Ukraine has captured more prisoners than Russia since mid-2023. Kyiv offers rewards for capturing enemy servicemen, aiming for opportunities to exchange prisoners and civilians with Moskva.

Prisoner exchange remains one of the few direct humanitarian cooperation areas between Russia and Ukraine amidst the conflict. The two countries also continue to exchange the bodies of fallen soldiers, even as broader diplomatic efforts have largely stalled.

Pham Giang (According to Kyiv Independent, Kyiv Post)