The Main Directorate of the National Police in the Kharkiv region has identified 13 occupiers who terrorized civilians in Izium during the occupation of the city in April–September 2022.

What is known about the suspects

• Levin Denys Olehovych (02.02.1985) — commander of the 1st Company of the 1st Battalion of the 204th Rifle Regiment of the LPR mobilization reserve. Organizer and leader of a group that systematically robbed and tortured residents of Izium. He is suspected of high treason, the intentional murder of a civilian, robbery and torture.
• Kasaurov Oleksandr Serhiyovych (05.11.2001) — a serviceman of the same regiment. He participated in almost all incidents: searches, robberies, torture and the illegal detention of residents.
• Dichenko Artem Oleksiyovych (07.12.2001) — a serviceman of the same regiment. He participated in torture, including staging the execution of a civilian in front of his mother; he was also involved in the theft of property and the illegal detention of people.
• Miroshnychenko Denys Mykolayovych (08.12.1987) — a “deputy” of the so-called “LPR”. He was directly involved in illegal searches, robberies and physical violence against civilians.
• Razum (Slynko) Roman Volodymyrovych (04.02.1981) — head of the “Union of Cinematographers of Donbas”, a war correspondent. He participated in robberies and organized forced video interrogations of illegally detained civilians under the threat of execution.
• Holubovych Mykhailo Artemovych (07.08.2001) — a serviceman of the same regiment. He participated in an attack on a family on April 8, 2022, involving beatings, robbery and the illegal detention of the victims.
• Khabyuk Ihor Mykhailovych (09.12.1978) — a serviceman of the same regiment. He participated in the torture of civilians and in forced video interrogations.
• Kobtsev Philip Viktorovich (14.08.1993) — a serviceman of the same regiment. During the attacks, he used a stun gun, beat victims and stole property.
• Lopatin Kostyantyn Oleksandrovych (27.04.1975) — a serviceman of the same regiment. He participated in robberies and the illegal detention of civilians.
• Reznik Serhiy Serhiyovych (05.04.1979) — a serviceman of the same regiment. He participated in the abduction of people and their detention in metal containers, as well as in the theft of vehicles.
• Shulgin Serhiy Serhiyovych (28.02.2000) — a serviceman of the same regiment. He participated in a series of searches, the torture of civilians and illegal detention.
• Vlasov Mykyta Olehovych (05.10.2001) — a serviceman of the same regiment. He participated in the illegal detention of one of the victims and held him for 16 days in inhumane conditions.
• Taran Danylo Serhiyovych (06.06.2001) — a serviceman of the same regiment. He took part in the attack on the family on April 8, beat the son in front of his mother and participated in the illegal detention of the victims.

Circumstances of the crimes

The armed seizure of Izium began in late February 2022, and by early April the city had come completely under the control of the Russian Armed Forces and LPR units. The occupation lasted until September 10, 2022, when the city was liberated by Ukrainian troops. Levin’s unit was based at 15 Vilkhova Street, where they set up a site for the illegal detention of civilians.

• March 8

Levin and his group broke into a private house. The owner was punched in the face under the false pretext that he was involved with the Right Sector, and was threatened with weapons and death. They took a Dell laptop and two video cameras — a Sony and a GoPro.

• March 10

The occupiers returned to the same house. The owner was forced at gunpoint to open his son’s service station, from which they took a Renault Megane. They then returned to the yard and took the keys to another car — an Opel Combo.

• March 20

The third visit to the same address. This time they took a Volkswagen LT28.

• March 28–30

The group searched the house of a local activist, an assistant to a deputy of the Izium City Council, and found Ukrainian symbols. The man was beaten for an hour, his two cars — an Opel Vivaro and a Geely — were stolen, and he was taken to the base, where he was locked in a chicken coop. On March 30, Levin took him outside and killed him with a shot to the jaw. The body was dumped on the roadside, where it was found the next day by funeral service workers. The man was buried in a cemetery in a forest area near Shakespeare Street.

• March 30

On the same day, Levin and Vlasov detained another resident of the city right on the street. They put a bag over his head, tied his hands with tape and took him to the base. He spent 16 days there, where he was tortured: beaten with rubber truncheons, threatened with execution and interrogated with demands that he name participants in the Anti-Terrorist Operation. Before his release, the occupiers forced him to give an on-camera “interview” at gunpoint.

• April 2

The group came to the house of another resident. The man refused to hand over his valuables and was detained and kept in a metal container for seven days without food or water. While the man was being held in the container, Levin came to his wife and took the keys to their ZAZ Tavria at gunpoint.

• April 8–11

Eight occupiers robbed two neighboring houses, taking an Acer laptop, Xbox and PlayStation 5 game consoles, a scooter, a motorcycle and three generators, while severely beating the homeowner’s son. After the robbery, he was taken to the base, where the torture continued: he was shot with a pneumatic gun and electrocuted. Finally, the occupiers staged a mock execution in front of his mother, pulling the trigger of a machine gun pressed to his head. After that, he was kept in detention for several more days in the chicken coop and on the top floor of the base.

• April 12–13

Levin and Kasaurov detained a man right at his workplace — at the city water utility. They put a bag over his head, took him to the base and beat him about 20 times with a metal object for allegedly being a member of the Right Sector. The next day, the man was forced to give a video interview. After his release, Levin took the man’s VAZ-2121 Niva car.

• End of April

Levin, Kasaurov and Dichenko detained a man near his own garage. At the base, Levin personally beat him with his hands and feet, threatening to cut off his arms and legs and demanding that he name wealthy residents of Izium. He was released a few hours later.

• June–July

During another search, the occupiers threatened to shoot the owner of one of the houses if they found Ukrainian symbols there. They took a Lenovo laptop and a Nokia phone.

Suspicion

All 13 individuals were notified of suspicion under Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — violation of the laws and customs of war, namely cruel treatment of civilians.

Levin was additionally charged under Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, as the investigation established that he shot a civilian man on March 30, 2022.