Kenneth Glad
Ukrainian military intelligence says it has identified the body of a Russian officer accused of serious abuses during the war in Ukraine, an announcement that has drawn wide attention but rests entirely on Ukrainian reporting. The claims, released by Kyiv this week, concern a figure already tracked by Ukrainian authorities as fighting continues along the front.
The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine said special operations units came across the body near a position previously held by Russian occupation forces. The agency identified the dead man as Sergey Ivanovich Zotov, born in 1990, a citizen of the Russian Federation.
Considering how many Russian soldiers that have reportedly been killed in Ukraine during the war, finding the body of a Russian soldier is not excactly breaking news, but this time it actually is. Because as the agency states:
“Retribution has come — Ukraine’s Defense Forces have eliminated a Russian war criminal.”
What Kyiv says he did
The statement was published on February 3 on the intelligence service’s official homepage.
The Ukrainian Intelligence Service reports that Zotov served with Russia’s 35th Motorized Rifle Brigade, part of the 41st Combined Arms Army.
Officials said he was known by nicknames cited by Ukrainian intelligence to characterise his alleged behaviour during the war. They added that, in private messages, he claimed to hold the rank of senior lieutenant.
Those messages, according to the agency, also described his role leading a unit assigned to track down the deserters within Russian forces. Ukrainian officials presented this as evidence of his authority and proximity to alleged abuses.
The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine said Zotov had previously reacted with pride to seeing his name included in Ukrainian registers of suspected war criminals.
Ukrainian officials argued that publishing such identifications serves several purposes: documenting alleged crimes, signalling accountability to Russian forces, and preserving records for potential future legal proceedings.
No court or international tribunal has ruled on the accusations outlined by Kyiv.
Limits of confirmation
German outlet News.de reported on February 5 that all available information about Zotov’s death and alleged actions comes from Ukrainian intelligence statements and Ukrainian media coverage.
There has been no confirmation from neutral international organisations, independent investigators, or Russian authorities as of yet.
Sources: Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, News.de
