Anna Hartz
Cases of soldiers being punished for crimes during the war in Ukraine are rare. Russian forces are usually portrayed as heroes by Moscow.
Yet a recent court ruling in Donetsk has sent four Russian soldiers to prison for murdering an American volunteer known as Russell Bentley, also called “Texas.”
Four Men Found Guilty
Bentley, 64, was a well-known figure in Donetsk, reports Digi24. He had joined pro-Russian separatists backed by Moscow in 2014. A former logger and self-proclaimed communist, he fought with the separatists until 2017. After that, he stayed in eastern Ukraine and worked for Russian state media, including Sputnik.
The soldiers mistook Bentley for a spy. They beat him to death and then placed his body in a car, which they blew up. The court in Russian-controlled Donetsk found the four men guilty of the murder. The incident happened in April 2014, when Bentley was preparing to film the aftermath of a Ukrainian airstrike. The soldiers had no personal knowledge of him.
Two of the convicted soldiers, Vitali Vansiatsky and Andrei Iordanov, were sentenced to 12 years in a penal colony. They were also stripped of their military ranks. Vladislav Agaltsev received an 11-year prison sentence. The fourth soldier was sentenced to 18 months for “concealing crimes.”
Interview with Rolling Stone
Bentley’s disappearance caused outrage in Donetsk at the time. The man had earned nicknames like “Texas” and “The Cowboy of Donbas.” He had a reputation as an “information warrior” and described himself that way in a 2022 interview with Rolling Stone. He had been granted Russian citizenship before the Russian offensive in Ukraine began.
The case is unusual because Russian courts rarely convict their own soldiers for actions committed while deployed in Ukraine. Kiev and international human rights organizations have accused Russian military personnel of torturing prisoners in the conflict.
The Donetsk court ruling shows that, in this instance, justice was applied even to pro-Russian forces. The sentences range from 18 months to 12 years, reflecting different levels of involvement in Bentley’s death. It also underscores how misunderstandings and mistrust in wartime can have deadly consequences.
Bentley’s story remains a grim reminder of the dangers faced by volunteers, journalists, and civilians caught in the fog of war in eastern Ukraine.
Sources: Digi24
