Investigators from the Main Directorate of the National Police in the Mykolaiv region have identified a russian serviceman who tortured a civilian during the occupation of a village in the Mykolaiv region. He has been served with a notice of suspicion under Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
What is known about the suspect
Kushkhov Alikhan Arsenovych (born July 2, 1992) is a Russian citizen and a native of Nalchik in the Kabardino-Balkar Republic. At the time of the crime, he served as commander of the 2nd reconnaissance platoon of the 1st reconnaissance company of the 205th Separate Motorized Rifle Cossack Brigade of the russian Armed Forces (military unit 74814, Budyonovsk, Stavropol Territory), which is part of the 49th Combined Arms Army of the Southern Military District. He held the rank of junior sergeant.
He used the call sign "Alikhan."
Circumstances of the crime
From March 20 to November 11, 2022, the village of Pavlivka in Bashtanka district, Mykolaiv region, was under russian occupation.
On August 4, 2022, at about 3:00 p.m., a group of russian servicemen, including Kushkhov, approached the house of a local resident. The man was ordered to accompany them and, fearing for his life, complied. He was taken to the premises of Police Department No. 2 in Snihurivka, Bashtanka district.
There, the victim was placed in a cell and held for six days, until August 10, in inhumane conditions — without a bed, toilet, or access to food and water.
On the day of his detention, Kushkhov took the victim to another room, where another serviceman was waiting. The man was ordered to provide testimony that would help the Russians identify local residents who had participated in the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO), held pro-Ukrainian views, or passed information to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. When he refused, Kushkhov struck him multiple times with a whip on the back, a rubber truncheon on his back, arms and legs, and at least ten times with a metal rod on his back.
Three days later, Kushkhov again took the man in for interrogation. This time, he placed two bare wires connected to a magneto — an alternating current generator — into the victim’s hands. Kushkhov warned that he would ask questions and, if the answers were delayed, he would apply voltage. During the interrogation, he repeatedly turned the handle of the device, causing electric shocks to pass through the victim’s body.
On August 10, 2022, the man was released.
Suspicion
Kushkhov has been served with a notice of suspicion for cruel treatment of civilians and other violations of the laws and customs of war committed by a group of persons acting in prior conspiracy — under Article 28(2) and Article 438(1) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
His actions are classified as war crimes under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, including torture, inhuman treatment of civilians, and unlawful deprivation of liberty during an armed conflict.
This is the second notice of suspicion served on Kushkhov — the first was issued in 2024 for abusing a civilian in a village of the Snihurivka territorial community.