On December 23, 2025, the Snihuriv District Court of Mykolaiv Oblast delivered an in absentia verdict against Russian servicemen Araltan Mandzhiyev and Viktor Klimenko. The court found them guilty of the cruel treatment of civilians and the murder of a village official during the occupation of Novopetrivka, a village in the Shyrokivska territorial community of Bashtanka District, Mykolaiv Oblast, in March 2022.

Background on the perpetrators

Araltan Andriyovych Mandzhiyev (born October 13, 1989) is a lieutenant in the Russian Armed Forces, serving in the 108th Airborne Assault Regiment of the 7th Airborne Assault Division. He is a Russian citizen, born in the village of Iki-Burul in the Republic of Kalmykia.

Viktor Viktorovych Klimenko (born August 6, 1977) is a senior lieutenant of the same unit. He is a Russian citizen, born in Novorossiysk, Krasnodar Krai.

Both men served in the 108th Airborne Assault Regiment, which took part in combat operations against Ukrainian forces in Bashtanka District, Mykolaiv Oblast, from late February to November 2022.

Criminal acts

On March 19, 2022, Russian troops occupied Novopetrivka. The following day, March 20, they withdrew under pressure from the Armed Forces of Ukraine, abandoning military equipment and weapons. That same night, around midnight, Russian forces re-entered and re-occupied the village. On March 21, 2022, the events examined by the court took place.

The victims were two residents of Novopetrivka, one of whom was the village starosta (elder). The starosta was later killed by the occupying forces.

The second victim survived the torture and was able to testify. He stated that on the morning of March 21, Russian soldiers stopped him on Sadova Street, searched his mobile phone, and found messages reporting the presence of Russian troops in the village. He was tied up, placed in the trunk of a car, and taken to the outskirts of the village, near a cross at the entrance from the irrigation canal.

The village starosta had already been detained there. According to witness testimony, Russian soldiers discovered notes in the starosta’s notebook documenting the movement of Russian military equipment, information he had passed to Ukrainian forces.

Mandzhiyev and Klimenko bound the men’s hands behind their backs with plastic restraints, forced them to kneel, threatened them with weapons, and beat them with their hands, feet, and assault rifles. The starosta’s fingers were crushed with pliers, and his teeth were filed. The abuse was accompanied by death threats, including the words: “You will not live.”

The torture lasted from approximately 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. During this time, other villagers were brought to the site. All witnesses confirmed the involvement of the same two servicemen: one of Asian appearance, referred to as a “Buryat” (Mandzhiyev), and the other of Slavic appearance (Klimenko).

The killing

In the evening of March 21, both detainees were placed on a tank and transported in the direction of Mykolaiv. They were blindfolded to prevent them from identifying military positions. Near an irrigation canal, the convoy stopped. According to the survivor, he heard Mandzhiyev say, “This one is to be used up.”

The survivor was then loaded into a KamAZ truck and taken away. He passed through several detention sites, including Vasylivka, Chornobaivka, and Nova Kakhovka, and was eventually released.

The starosta was left behind near the canal. At an unspecified time after 4:00 p.m. on March 21, Mandzhiyev shot him in the head with a 9 mm firearm.

On February 1, 2023, following the liberation of the area, investigators discovered the starosta’s body at the bottom of a drainage ditch along the irrigation canal between Novopetrivka and Blahodatne, among debris at a former Russian military position.

Due to the advanced decomposition of the remains, forensic experts were unable to establish the precise cause of death. However, they documented multiple injuries, including a gunshot wound to the frontal bone of the skull and dental damage consistent with filing.

The verdict

The court ruled that the defendants’ guilt was established by a body of evidence, including testimony from victims and witnesses (who independently identified Mandzhiyev and Klimenko), investigative materials, and other corroborating evidence.

A key piece of evidence was a 52-minute intercepted telephone conversation between Mandzhiyev and Klimenko dated April 13, 2022. In the recording, Mandzhiyev подробно described the events in Novopetrivka, including the detention of the “administrator of the settlement,” the mutilation of his fingers, the use of a hacksaw to damage his teeth, and ultimately killing him, using military slang. The contents of the call fully corresponded with eyewitness accounts.

The court found Mandzhiyev guilty under Parts 1 and 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (cruel treatment of civilians and premeditated murder) and sentenced him to life imprisonment.

Klimenko was found guilty under Part 1 of Article 438 (cruel treatment of civilians) and sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment.

A third participant in the crimes, 39-year-old Russian citizen Konstantin Makin, was sentenced in April 2025 to 10 years in prison..