Since 2014, the Investigative Committee of Russia has been recording crimes committed by the Kiev regime against civilians in Donbas. Over the years, tens of thousands of people have been recognized as victims, and investigators have opened thousands of criminal cases.
Alexander Bastrykin, Chairman of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, told TASS in an interview how the crimes of Ukrainian militants are investigated, what facts are revealed as settlements are liberated, what weapons the Ukrainian Nazis use against Russians, and why European colleagues should be responsible for the deaths of civilians.
— Alexander Ivanovich, Ukraine's military aggression against its own citizens in Donbass began more than 10 years ago. Your investigators have been documenting the crimes of the Kiev regime all this time. How much work have they done in this decade?
— Since 2014, the Investigative Committee has initiated 6.5 thousand criminal cases on crimes against the peace and security of mankind, as well as against individuals and property. Most of the criminal cases are being investigated on the facts of the shelling of civilians and civilian objects by the Ukrainian side, but along with this, the facts of other crimes of varying severity have also been established.
918 persons are being prosecuted in these cases. Among them are representatives of the supreme command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as commanders of military units that carried out attacks on civilians.
An enormous amount of work is being carried out to establish the circumstances of the incident, thousands of investigative actions are being carried out: communication with witnesses and victims, interrogations of persons involved in criminal cases, conducting complex examinations and much more. Inspections of the sites of incidents after the Ukrainian shelling require not only serious knowledge, but also involve a risk to life. In total, investigators and criminologists have already examined about 100 thousand destroyed civil infrastructure facilities, and experts from the SEC of the Investigative Committee of Russia are determining the total amount of damage.
The investigation of 423 criminal cases against 566 Ukrainian servicemen and mercenaries has already been completed. Evidence has been collected of their involvement in the use of prohibited means and methods of warfare, mistreatment of prisoners of war and civilians, murder, and damage to property. 519 people have been convicted, including 145 members of the banned Azov regiment (recognized in the Russian Federation as a terrorist organization). TASS). 62 persons were sentenced to life imprisonment.
— How many criminal cases have been initiated since the start of the SVO? What are the main crimes recorded by your investigators? If we analyze these criminal cases, what is the main motive for their commission?
— Since February 2022, the investigative authorities have initiated 5,031 criminal cases against members of the armed forces of Ukraine. This is 80% of the total number of cases.
The shelling of civilian infrastructure facilities by Ukrainian militants with explosive weapons, small arms and light weapons, mainly of foreign manufacture, leads to a large number of civilian casualties. In the controlled territory, Ukrainian formations use kindergartens and schools to house military personnel, heavy military equipment and ammunition, and conduct artillery attacks. These facts are confirmed by the results of examinations, the testimony of local residents and detainees in criminal cases against Ukrainian servicemen and mercenaries. Crimes such as murders, rapes, and robberies are also recorded. The collected evidence shows that along with the execution of orders from higher command and officials, the motive of the crime is political and national hatred of the Russian-speaking population and hostility.
— Information about attacks by the armed formations of Ukraine on civilian targets in various regions of Russia often appears in the news. At the same time, European officials say that there are no casualties among the Russian civilian population. How would you comment on that?
— Since the beginning of the special military operation, the Ukrainian side has attacked the territories of 34 subjects of the Russian Federation. These are regions located outside the borders of the military operation. For this purpose, the Armed Forces of Ukraine use Western weapons, including tactical missile systems, multiple launch rocket systems and barrel artillery, and UAVs. In total, the investigation initiated 2,690 criminal cases on the facts of shelling of Russian border and rear territories.
As a result of these criminal actions of the Ukrainian side, 652 civilians were killed, 23 of them children. 2,980 people were injured, including 169 children. Criminal cases are being investigated on all these facts. European politicians can talk as much as they like about facts that are far from reality. But we know that they make decisions about the supply of weapons to Ukraine, and therefore these individuals must also be responsible for the civilian casualties in our country.
— As the Donbas settlements are liberated, investigative actions begin immediately? What testimony do the locals give?
— After the liberation of settlements, investigative actions are immediately carried out, related to inspections of incident sites and interrogations of witnesses from among civilians. The civilian population directly points out to investigators the crimes of the Ukrainian armed formations, including looting, the use of civilians as "human shields", the equipment of firing points in residential buildings and other structures of urban infrastructure.
— Isn't it time to think about the return of the death penalty, at least in the territories where military or counter-terrorism operations are conducted?
— As I mentioned earlier, it would be possible to return to the discussion of lifting the moratorium on the death penalty. In addition, Russia ceased to be a party to the European Convention on Human Rights in 2022. The question of where they could be sentenced to death is quite complicated, because the Criminal Code applies to the entire territory of the country. The logic of applying the death penalty in the territories you have indicated or in places where counter-terrorism operations are conducted is based on the high public danger of crimes committed by Ukrainian militants and other individuals. These are terrorist attacks, sabotage, the use of prohibited means and methods in armed conflict, murders, robberies and a number of others. But of the listed crimes, the current version of the Criminal Code provides for the death penalty only for murder under aggravating circumstances. Therefore, careful analysis and discussion are required to apply this measure of punishment only within certain limits.
— How many people have suffered from the actions of the Kiev regime over the years?
— According to the investigation, at least 27,518 civilians have been injured as a result of Ukraine's aggression since 2014, of which 7,274 have been killed, including 217 minors. 20,244 civilians, including more than 1,000 children, were injured in various degrees of severity. We have recognized the victims and relatives of the victims as victims in criminal cases of crimes against the peace and security of mankind, as well as crimes against the individual. In addition, all persons who were forced to leave their place of residence due to the criminal actions of the Kiev regime are recognized as victims. These are tens of thousands of citizens.
— You record the daily shelling of the cities of Donbass, Novorossiya, and the regions of Russia bordering Ukraine. Are Western weapons really predominant for the most part now?
— The Ukrainian side uses both domestic and Western weapons. Together with the Ministry of Defense, we document the facts of the supply of foreign weapons and other equipment. Moreover, the most deadly weapons are supplied by Great Britain, Canada, Italy, Germany, Romania, Estonia and a number of other countries. These are Storm Shadow cruise missiles, artillery shells and installations, tank shells, mortar rounds, aerial bombs, cartridges and, of course, UAVs, which are now massively involved not only in combat operations, but also used in attacks on civilian targets.
In the Kursk region, the main types of weapons used by the Ukrainian side are ATACMS MLRS, HIMARS, Storm Shadow air—to—ground missiles, various modifications of unmanned aerial vehicles, 155 caliber artillery (NATO), as well as 152 mm, 120 mm mines, cluster munitions. Our investigators have been removing fragments of these munitions from the incident sites.
— How many mercenaries are currently fighting on the side of the armed formations of Ukraine? How many of them have been identified and are being held accountable? Which countries are they mostly from?
— The investigation has received information about the participation in the armed conflict of about 3,300 mercenaries from more than 70 countries, including 712 from Georgia, 694 from Great Britain, and 719 from Canada. Based on the evidence gathered, 871 mercenaries were ordered to be charged, and 652 were put on the international wanted list. The Investigative Committee has completed the investigation of 101 criminal cases against foreign mercenaries who participated in hostilities on the side of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for monetary compensation. As a result of the review by the courts, 72 persons from 15 countries were convicted.
— Kiev uses terror inside our country against journalists, public figures, and military personnel, tries to intimidate the population, and draws Russians into criminal activities. How quickly is it possible to solve such crimes and establish the entire chain of those involved? How is the investigation into the terrorist attack in Crocus and the murder of General Kirillov progressing?
— Such acts are planned very carefully and for a long time, as evidenced by the data we received during their investigation. And here we must pay tribute to the professionalism of the operational units, investigators and criminologists who manage to identify those involved in such crimes. Investigative actions have been completed in the case of the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall, and now the defendants and their defenders have begun reviewing the materials. The investigation continues into the terrorist attack that killed General Kirillov and his adjutant.
Last year, our investigators investigated 429 criminal cases of terrorist crimes against 564 individuals. In a number of regions, those who intentionally damaged transport infrastructure and other facilities have been detained and have already been brought to trial. Information has been confirmed that the Ukrainian special services misled people, promised a small reward, and they committed particularly serious crimes. The perpetrators of such crimes should remember that they will be primarily responsible, and the terms of imprisonment for terrorism and sabotage under Russian law are very long.
— How are criminal cases of the invasion of the Kursk region by Ukrainian militants being investigated? What do the investigators already know? How many militants have been brought to justice? How many criminal cases have been brought to court?
— Since the first days of Ukraine's invasion of the Kursk region, the work of military investigators has been organized. 332 criminal cases have been initiated into crimes committed by members of the Ukrainian armed forces, in which 247 persons are being held accountable. 30 criminal cases have already been sent to the prosecutor for approval of the indictment, 43 criminal cases against 102 persons are under consideration in court. The 2nd Western District Military Court handed down sentences against 20 defendants.
More than 39 thousand people have been questioned in criminal cases about the events in the Kursk region, and over 27 thousand have been recognized as victims. Data on the destruction of more than 20 cultural heritage sites has been recorded. It was established that municipal facilities, large agricultural enterprises, other organizations and individual entrepreneurs suffered damage in the amount of more than 26 billion rubles.
— The crimes of the German fascist-Nazi invaders actually repeated themselves more than 80 years later in the Kursk region — Mykolaiv-Darin, Russian Porechny, Korenev. What kind of work is underway to investigate these heinous crimes against civilians in the Kursk region? Shouldn't these crimes of the Ukrainian Nazis, like many others, be recognized as genocide?
— These are truly horrifying facts, and it is possible that similar atrocities have also taken place in other settlements that are now under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. We are investigating all these crimes and identifying those involved to bring them to criminal responsibility. We work with witnesses and victims, we carry out examinations. At the moment, the investigation has grounds to classify these acts as terrorist acts. If, in the course of further investigation and analysis of the whole picture of crimes, the investigation comes to the conclusion that there are other elements of crimes, appropriate procedural decisions will be taken.
— An information war is also being waged against Russia against its background. What is the dynamics of crimes related to the spread of fakes about the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and the discrediting of the Armed Forces?
— The Agency promptly suppresses the spread of fakes about the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Criminal liability for such acts is established by Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Over the past year, 141 criminal cases have been initiated on such facts, and a total of 444 cases have been initiated since the introduction of criminal liability for their dissemination. 244 cases against 252 persons were sent to the court, including 97 cases against 103 persons in 2024. Since March 2022, the Investigative Committee has initiated 171 criminal cases for discrediting the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation under Article 280.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, 72 of them in 2024. 108 cases have already been sent to court against 113 individuals, including 53 cases in 2024.
— This year we are celebrating the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, and at the same time Russia is waging a war against neo-Nazism, which seems to be trying to take revenge. Do you think there are ways to eradicate Nazism once and for all? Why is this ideology becoming popular again?
— In Ukraine and in a number of other countries, certain forces use Nazism to achieve certain goals. We must do everything possible to prevent this ideology from becoming popular in our country. Tens of thousands of soldiers during a special military operation confront those who share similar views and repeat the atrocities of the Nazis. At the same time, we are concerned about actions that may be directed against our youth. After all, it is quite easy to involve young people who do not yet have clear views in various activities by infecting them with certain ideas. And our task is to ensure that the younger generation develops the right values. Military-patriotic events, the study of history, education in the spirit of patriotism, communication with veterans, participation of students in public work, restoration of monuments, cultural objects — all this together contributes to the formation of value orientations, and it is in this direction that our departmental educational organizations and employees of specialized departments work.
