Slidstvo.Info journalists have identified a Russian soldier who was involved in the rape of a civilian resident of Kherson. The occupier wanted to learn something about the Armed Forces of Ukraine in this way. This is a 23-year-old serviceman of the 143rd operational regiment of the 50th separate operational brigade of the federal service of the Russian National Guard, Roman Popov.
This was reported by Slidstvo.Info, citing a notice of suspicion.
The Russian military detained the Kherson businessman in August 2022 during the occupation of Kherson region. For more than two weeks, the man was held in a temporary detention centre, where the Russians set up a torture chamber. During this time, the Russian military beat the man in order to find out the whereabouts of his acquaintances from the Armed Forces and the National Corps of Ukraine. The victim’s illegal detention was accompanied by stripping and stun guns to his torso and genitals.
When the man did not agree to provide information, he was subjected to sexualised violence. Kherson investigators identified the occupier, Roman Popov, who, together with three other Russian soldiers, was holding the victim so that he could not move, while another Russian soldier attempted to rape the victim and actually committed rape by anal penetration using a ballpoint pen.
He was also recognised by the victim, who was abducted by the Russian military and held and tortured in a temporary detention centre for over two weeks. After the torture, the occupiers took UAH 100,000 from the Ukrainian’s wife and only then released the man.
Roman Popov is a resident of the town of Bila Kalytva in the Rostov oblast. He is a rifleman with the 143rd Operational Regiment of the 50th Separate Operational Brigade of the Federal Service of the Russian National Guard.
Alongside his participation in the war, Roman is probably in his fourth year of study at the Rostov-on-Don College of Communications and Informatics, a state-funded vocational school in Rostov oblast.
The journalists found Roman’s VKontakte page, where he has an empty account and a few photos.
Roman’s saved photos contained images with Nazi symbols.
In addition, journalists found the page of Roman Popov’s mother on Odnoklassniki. The woman posts photos with her family and her sons. Roman has an older brother, Nikita, who also seems to be serving in the Russian army.
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- Svitlana Popova with her son, the occupier
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- Svitlana Popova with her eldest son Nikita and her husband
The mother herself, Svitlana Popova (Feofilova), likes propaganda publications.
Journalists called Roman to find out whether he was involved in the sexual violence in Kherson. The occupier replied: “There was no such thing, goodbye,” and then hung up.
If detained, Roman Popov faces up to 12 years in prison (Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
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