Anton Politov, a 36-year-old Russian, tortured civilians during the occupation of Vovchansk, Kharkiv oblast: he connected electric wires to their earlobes, fingers, toes and electrocuted them for a long time. Prosecutor’s investigators found out about this, and Slidstvo.Info journalists identified the occupier.
On 10 August 2023, Ukrainian law enforcement officers served a notice of suspicion of violation of the laws and customs of war during the occupation of Kharkiv region to the so-called senior operative of the LPR Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Department for Combating Drug Trafficking, Russian Anton Politov.
During the occupation of the city of Vovchansk in Kharkiv oblast, the Russian military created a prison for civilians on the territory of the Vovchansk Aggregate Plant.
In early June 2022, Russian soldiers in a white car with the letter “Z” drove up to a civilian house. The occupiers beat the owner of the house and hit him in the head with the butt of a rifle.
The Russians then put hats on the homeowners’ heads to cover their eyes and drove them to a torture chamber.
Anton Politov was directly involved in the torture of people. He tied people’s hands, chained them to a chair, and then connected electric wires to their earlobes, fingers and toes and shocked them for a long time.
According to law enforcement officials, there are at least eight episodes in which Politov brutally tortured people for more than an hour. In addition, Politov, along with other unidentified Russian military personnel, beat the prisoner with rubber truncheons and kicks for no reason, while cursing and humiliating him for being Ukrainian.
The torture chamber existed until around 10 September 2022, when Ukrainian troops liberated the town.
Slidstvo.Info journalists identified the occupier by his page on the Russian social network VKontakte.
36-year-old Anton Politov is from Orengburg (Russian Federation).
-
- Occupier Anton Politov
-
- Occupier Anton Politov
-
- Occupier Anton Politov
-
- Occupier Anton Politov
He married Ukrainian Kateryna Politova from occupied Luhansk.
-
- The occupier and his wife
-
- The occupier and his wife
It is likely that Politov met his future wife when Russia sent him to serve as a so-called senior operative of the LPR Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Department for Combating Drug Trafficking after the occupation of Luhansk in 2014. The Russian military officer lectured to Ukrainian students in occupied Luhansk, telling them about his successes in his position.
-
- Occupier Anton Politov in Luhansk
-
- Anton Politov gives a lecture to Ukrainian students in occupied Luhansk
-
- Anton Politov gives a lecture to Ukrainian students in occupied Luhansk
-
- Anton Politov gives a lecture to Ukrainian students in occupied Luhansk
Before the Russian authorities sent the occupier to Ukraine, Politov was the head of the medical service in the Ufa department of the Orenburg Cossack army.
-
- Photo: Myrotvorets
-
- Photo: Myrotvorets
-
- Photo: Myrotvorets
The occupier’s mother, Irina Politova, works as an ambulance doctor. She is an active user of social media, where she is happy to post many photos of herself and her son together.
-
- The occupier and his mother
-
- The occupier and his mother
-
- The occupier and his mother
Irina posts a photo of her son in uniform, probably taken in Ukraine, and is proud that he came to torture and kill people.
Screenshot of the occupier’s mother’s page
The woman is an ardent fan of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, as evidenced by her numerous posts on Odnoklassniki.
-
- Screenshot of the occupier’s mother’s page
-
- Screenshot of the occupier’s mother’s page
-
- Screenshot of the occupier’s mother’s page
-
- Screenshot of the occupier’s mother’s page
Before he went to kill and torture Ukrainians, Politov spent his free time with his mother and her friends.
Slidstvo.Info journalists contacted Anton Politov and found out that after the crime, the Russian returned to occupied Luhansk (updated 30.08.2023). On his VKontakte page, he writes that “there is happiness”. For his crimes, Anton Politov faces imprisonment for up to 12 years (Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
