UKRAINE, Aug 19 — Prosecutors have brought to court the case of a Russian soldier involved in the shooting of Ukrainian soldiers at the Vovchansk aggregate plant in the Kharkiv region.

Vovchansk is a city north of the Kharkiv Oblast located 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the Russian border. The Vovchansk aggregate plant is located in the city centre, where the fighting has been ongoing since the second Russian offensive on Kharkiv Oblast in spring 2024.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said that geolocated footage published on August 13 indicates that Ukrainian forces recently advanced within central Vovchansk, including the plant’s nearest territory.

According to the Khariv prosecutors, a 36-year-old Russian soldier, call sign Altai, took part in the second offensive on Kharkiv Oblast as commander of the grenade launcher unit of Russian Forces. Their unit occupied the territory of the Vovchansk aggregate plant.

According to the prosecution, on August 16, 2024, a Ukrainian soldier of a grenade launcher unit got lost and came to the positions of Russian troops on the territory of the plant. He had no weapons and, because of the enemy’s superiority, he was captured.

The accused soldier, along with other Russian servicemen, conducted an interrogation and got the order to kill a Ukrainian soldier.

According to the prosecutors, Altai offered to carry out an order to another unit soldier with a call sign Kot. Altai instructed him and designated a location on the plant territory, where Kot shot the Ukrainian soldier in the head with an automatic weapon.

At that time, the accused was outside the building, monitoring the situation and covering for the Kot’s actions.

Later, on July 2, Russians captured another two Ukrainian soldiers. They tied Ukrainians to posts in the territory of the plant. 

Altai reported the information to the commander, who said to kill Ukrainian soldiers. This time, Altai personally participated in the killings, having previously agreed on a plan with Kot to execute the prisoners. On July 3, each of them killed one prisoner by shooting them in the back of the head.

On September 24, 2024, Ukrainian intelligence captured the Russians from the Vovchansk aggregate plant, including Altai. They took prisoners to one of the frontline settlements in the Kharkiv region, where prosecutors conducted interrogations to record the crimes and gather evidence.

Currently, a Russian soldier is in custody. In the court, prosecutors plan to insist on the most severe punishment — life imprisonment.

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