Kathrine Frich
One survivor’s account has helped uncover what Ukrainian officials describe as a deliberate massacre.
A night of terror in eastern Ukraine has left an entire family dead and raised fresh questions about the conduct of Russian troops.
The killings took place in a village where civilians were hiding underground to escape fighting.
Violence in hiding
Two soldiers from Russia’s 30th Motorized Rifle Brigade shot and killed seven civilians sheltering in a basement in Pokrovskoye, according to the Ukrainian newspaper Pravda.
The attack occurred during the night of December 20–21.
Pravda reported that the soldiers, identified as Rinat Galimzyanov and Alexei Agafonov, approached Oleksandr Zavadsky and his son Yaroslav while they were hiding with others.
The soldiers demanded alcohol. When the family said they had none, the soldiers opened fire, killing both men on the spot.
No one spared
After the initial shooting, the attackers entered the basement where other civilians were hiding and continued firing, Pravda said. Children were among those killed.
Only one person survived the attack. Pyotr Mierontsev was wounded but managed to stay alive by pretending to be dead until the soldiers left.
The newspaper described the killings as an execution-style attack against unarmed civilians.
Cover-up attempt
According to Pravda, the soldiers then tried to destroy evidence of the crime. They set fire to the property above the basement.
They later told their commander that they had eliminated a “Ukrainian sabotage and intelligence group.”
The report was allegedly made to a superior known by the callsign “Voodoo.”
Ukrainian investigators say the claim was false and intended to conceal the killing of civilians.
Arrests follow
The perpetrators were detained on December 23 after Mierontsev escaped the area and testified about what happened that night, Pravda reported.
Following his account, the two soldiers were taken into custody and transferred to the Selidov detention center.
Ukrainian authorities say the case adds to evidence of war crimes committed against civilians in occupied or contested areas.
Sources: Ukrainska Pravda, o2.
