On February 3, 2026, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) served a notice of suspicion to Oleksandr Chesnokov, a member of the russian occupation forces, over his alleged involvement in war crimes against civilians in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region in the spring of 2022.

What is known about the criminal

Oleksandr Viktorovych Chesnokov (born January 11, 1985), call sign “Chesnok,” is a native of Alchevsk in Ukraine’s Luhansk region.

Before russia’s full-scale invasion, Chesnokov voluntarily joined an illegal armed formation — the 3rd Battalion of the 204th Motorized Rifle Regiment of the so-called “2nd Army Corps of the LPR,” which was created and controlled by russia.

Together with russian troops, he took part in the invasion of the Kharkiv region.

Circumstances of the crimes

In early March 2022, Russian forces illegally occupied part of the Izium district in the Kharkiv region, including the villages of Levkivka and Ivanivka. According to investigators, Chesnokov participated in acts of repression against the civilian population in these settlements.

• First episode: torture of a resident of Ivanivka (approximately March 5–6, 2022)

In early March 2022, Chesnokov and four Russian servicemen arrived at a private house in Ivanivka, where a local resident lived with his wife.

The armed occupiers unlawfully entered the property and conducted a search. The homeowner was not a serviceman, did not possess weapons, and did not participate in hostilities, making him a civilian protected under the Geneva Conventions.

During the search, Chesnokov allegedly threatened to kill the man and his wife. When no evidence of cooperation with Ukraine’s Armed Forces was found, he punched the victim in the jaw and struck him several times in the torso.

Chesnokov then reportedly simulated executions by placing a firearm against various parts of the victim’s body and pulling the trigger. He later fired a live round into a table, with the bullet ricocheting and striking a windowsill.

The victim was subsequently detained. A black plastic bag was placed over his head and taped shut, his hands were bound, and he was transported in the victim’s own Niva vehicle to a tractor brigade facility in Levkivka, where he was interrogated.

Investigators say the man was tortured for about three hours: wires were attached to his fingers and used to administer electric shocks, cigarette butts were extinguished on his skin, and smoke was blown into the bag over his head, causing suffocation.

The victim was later released, but his vehicle was not returned.

• Second episode: beating and abduction of a resident of Levkivka (April 12, 2022)

In April 2022, Chesnokov and nine other russian servicemen arrived at a house in Levkivka occupied by a local man and his wife.

During the search, they allegedly found Ukrainian flags and Right Sector symbols. Chesnokov began beating the man in the yard, striking him in the face. Another militant forced the victim’s wife into the house and prevented her from intervening.

To intensify psychological pressure, Chesnokov reportedly chambered his assault rifle and fired a shot toward the house, damaging a window frame.

The man was then detained. His hands were tied behind his back, a hat was taped over his eyes, and he was taken away in a vehicle in an unknown direction. His whereabouts remain unknown to this day.

During the search, the occupiers also seized a hunting rifle with its case and cleaning kit, two mobile phones, a laptop, a Wi-Fi router, and a flash drive.

Suspicion

Oleksandr Chesnokov has been formally suspected under two articles of Ukraine’s Criminal Code: – high treason (Article 111, Part 1); – cruel treatment of civilians and violations of the laws and customs of war, committed by a group of persons (Article 28, Part 2; Article 438, Part 1).