Ukraine’s SBU Security Service has pressed charges against a Russian “Storm V” soldier. He is suspected of shooting a captured Ukrainian soldier. The Russian fighter’s name is Dmitry Kurashov. Slidstvo.Info journalists learned that before joining the Russian army, Kurashov was jailed for stealing food. He was hoping to be pardoned for his participation in the war against Ukraine so that he could start a new life. Although Kurashov was promised money for his participation in the war, he received nothing, and his commander took his credit card and spent his money, Slidstvo.Info reports.
The investigation believes that on January 6, 2024, Kurashov shot a Ukrainian Armed Forces soldier who was captured by the Russians during an assault. According to Ukrainian law enforcers, the suspect fired at least three times at the unarmed Ukrainian.
Kurashov was captured shortly after his war crime when Ukrainian forces counterattacked the Russian unit.
Suspect in the murder of Ukrainian prisoner of war Dmitry Kurashov / SBU photo
Slidstvo.Info journalists found a video of Kurashov giving an interview to the Ukrainian military when he was captured.
According to the occupier, he joined the Russian army from prison.
“The Ministry of Defense came and said they were recruiting people for military service under contract. They needed people who did not suffer from hepatitis, HIV, and other diseases. They also offered to serve only to those [prisoners] who had been convicted of certain crimes. Everyone who met the requirements and wanted to serve signed up,” the Russian soldier recalls.
Kurashov accepted the offer of the Russian Defense Ministry because he was promised a pardon. “I wanted to start a new life,” he explains.
Kurashov had been imprisoned for stealing food from stores. He explains his actions by the fact that he could not find a job because he had other convictions.
When recruiting prisoners, the Russian Ministry of Defense kept silent about the fact that they would later participate in assaults. Kurashov thought he would be repairing equipment, not capturing Ukrainian military positions.
“If I had known, I wouldn’t have gone, but when I signed the contract, we were told that there was no turning back,” Kurashov says.
The Russian fighter was on the territory of Ukraine for two months. During his final assault, he was captured. A platoon of “Storm V troops” was forced to attack a forest belt with Ukrainian positions under the threat of execution. When the Russians were able to gain control of the Ukrainian positions, they were attacked by drones, and in the evening, the remnants of the Russian unit were captured by a Ukrainian assault group.
Before the assault, Kurashov’s platoon split into three groups. “Five people remained from my group, two people remained in the second group, and the last group was killed in their entirety,” the soldier recalls.
Although Kurashov was promised money for participating in the occupation of Ukraine, he never saw it. His command told the soldiers that there was simply a delay in pay. Moreover, the leadership of the Russian military collected credit cards from the units and spent the money owed to the soldiers. Kurashov’s commander bought himself a car, expensive clothes, and a phone.
Kurashov was detained for violating the rules and customs of war. If proven guilty, the Russian faces life imprisonment.
The SBU reported that they have irrefutable evidence of the Russian’s guilt in the murder of a captured Ukrainian soldier.
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