On February 25, Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) notified a russian paratrooper of suspicion for killing two unarmed civilian men on Yablunskaya Street in Bucha in March 2022 — one was shot after torture, the other from an ambush.

What is known about the suspect

Artem Stanislavovich Dementiev (born November 20, 1986) is a russian citizen from Pskov. He served as a reconnaissance sniper in the reconnaissance platoon of the 1st battalion-tactical group of the 234th Guards Airborne Assault Regiment, 76th Guards Airborne Assault Division, russian Airborne Forces (military unit 74268). Rank: Sergeant.

Circumstances of the crimes

From February 27 to March 30, 2022, units of the 234th Regiment occupied Bucha in Kyiv region. Dementiev and his platoon carried out combat missions to secure and control the area, including house-to-house inspections on Yablunskaya Street.

• First episode — March 4, 2022

At 07:27 near the building of LLC “Agrobudpostach” (Yablunskaya Street, 144), Dementiev and other soldiers detained a local unarmed man in civilian clothes. He escorted the victim at gunpoint with a Vintorez sniper rifle to the unit’s location in house No. 144.

Between 07:27 and 08:03, unidentified soldiers removed the victim’s jacket and hat, tied his hands behind his back, and interrogated him with violence. During torture, he was shot in the left forearm, sustaining a through-and-through wound.

Between 08:03 and 11:00, Dementiev personally led the victim outside to the fence of the neighboring property (No. 146) and shot him in the head with the Vintorez. Death resulted from a gunshot wound to the head. Investigators attribute the motive to hatred toward Ukrainian civilians.

• Second episode — March 6, 2022

Around 15:00, Dementiev, positioned on overwatch near house No. 144, saw another unarmed civilian walking past the same building. About 400 meters away (from 106 Hrushevskoho Street), he shot the man in the chest with a Vintorez. The victim fell backward near the fence. Dementiev approached and fired a second shot to the neck, causing death from penetrating chest wounds, internal injuries, and blood loss.

Charges

A senior investigator of the DBR has charged Dementiev under Part 2 of Article 438 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code for cruel treatment of civilians and other violations of the laws of war, combined with premeditated murder by a group acting in concert.

Both the torture and the murders are classified as war crimes under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.