A Russian soldier who deserted from the army and served in the 64th Separate Guard Motor Rifle Brigade, which was held responsible for the massacre and rape in the town of Bucha, near the Ukrainian capital Kiev, told what he experienced. Soldier Nikita Chibrin said that “maniacs and rapists who take pleasure in killing people” are among the brigade soldiers sanctioned by many western countries.
Nikita Chibrin, a former Russian soldier, said his troops raped two Ukrainian women while they were deployed to the northwest of Kiev in March.
“NEVER OFFICIALLY PUNISHED”
“I saw them run away, then I found out they were rapists,” Chibrin said. They raped a mother and her daughter. The alleged rapists were beaten by the commanders. However, these soldiers were never fully punished for their crimes. They were never jailed. They were just fired,” he said.
Chibrin, a former soldier from Yakutsk, Russia, served in the 64th Separate Guard Motor Rifle Brigade, a Russian military unit accused of committing war crimes during their attacks on Bucha, Borodyanka and other towns and villages north of Kiev. He deserted from the Russian army in September. Chibrin then fled to Europe via Belarus and Kazakhstan.
“WAR CLAIMED”
On the other hand, after the withdrawal of Russian forces from the Kyiv region in April, the bodies of murdered civilians lying on the streets and mass graves were found in Bucha and many other places in the area. Chibrin and his brigade soldiers were identified as war criminals by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.
WESTERN COUNTRIES IMPLEMENT SANCTIONS
Chibrin’s military documents show that his unit was commanded by Azatbek Omurbekov, the officer in charge of the 64th Separate Guard Motor Rifle Brigade. Omurbekov, nicknamed “The Butcher of Bucha”, is under the sanctions of the European Union (EU) and England. The United States imposed sanctions on the entire brigade.
APPRECIATING FROM PUTIN
However, the Kremlin has repeatedly denied any involvement in the mass killings, while repeatedly making claims that images of civilian bodies are fake. Russian President Vladimir Putin praised the unit for its “heroism” and “brave acts”.
Speaking to CNN in a European country where he has sought asylum, Chibrin said he had witnessed the crimes his brigade committed and would be ready to testify against his unit in an international criminal court. Claiming that he had not committed any crime, Chibrin said, “I did not see any murder, but I saw rapists running away after being chased by high-ranking members of the unit.”
“WE HAVE DIRECT ORDER TO KILL”
In addition, Chibrin said the unit had a “direct order to kill” anyone who shared information about the unit’s locations, whether military or civilian:
“64. I have little doubt that some of the men in the Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade are capable of killing unarmed civilians. There are maniacs who take pleasure in killing a person. Such maniacs appeared there. “If someone had a phone, we would be allowed to shoot them,” he said.
“THE Ukrainians Looted And Sold Their Belongings in Belarus”
Chibrin also described the widespread looting where Russian soldiers took computers, jewelry and everything they loved from homes in Ukraine. When we left Lipovka and Andreevka at the end of March, Russian soldiers bought civilian cars and sold them in Belarus,” he said.
As for the unit commanders, Chibrin said they were well aware of the rapes, murders and looting, but were not very interested in seeking justice.
“They reacted like this: ‘There’s no discipline in this,’ Chibrin said. Anyway. It happened. So what happened?’ Actually, there was no reaction,” he said.
On the other hand, Chibrin stated that he did not doubt that Russia would eventually lose its war against Ukraine, but that he was worried that there would be too many casualties until the war was over.
Chiprin said, “Because Russia will not stop until great blood is spilled and everyone dies. Soldiers are cannon fodder for them. They don’t respect them,” he said.
WHAT HAPPENED IN BUCHA?
While Russia’s attacks on Ukraine continued, it was claimed that Ukrainian civilians were killed in mass, raped and tortured by the Russian Armed Forces during the occupation of the Ukrainian town of Bucha last March. Photo and video materials of the events emerged after the withdrawal of Russian forces from the town on April 1, 2022.
According to the mayor, more than a thousand bodies were found in Bucha. Photographic evidence showed that the bodies of civilians lined up with their hands tied behind their backs had been shot at very close range.
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