His word is rare. A deserter from the Russian army testified to BFMTV about the horrors of the war in Ukraine that he claims to have witnessed. The former soldier spent several weeks in the Boutcha region, where he claims to have seen his former comrades in arms commit war crimes.
A former member of the “Boutcha Butchers”
“A mother and her 17-year-old daughter were raped,” Nikita Chibrine, 27, told BFMTV of several Russian soldiers whom he described as “intoxicated”. “There were four in total and then they were arrested. They received a penalty, we hit them with stools before firing them, ”he then explains.
The former Russian soldier was a member of the 64th Motorized Rifle Brigade. Its members, nicknamed the “Butcha Butchers”, have become famous for the horrors they are accused of committing against civilians in the Ukraine region.
“Much looting”
“There was a lot of looting. They entered the houses to steal, they took everything, ”he also says about his former comrades in arms.
For his part, the ex-soldier assures that he has never been in this city, but he has been in the villages of Lypivka and Andriivka, located about fifteen kilometers away. He also claims not to have committed any war crimes and that he was only in charge of the stewardship of the soldiers.
40 civilians were killed by the Russian 64th Brigade in the village of Andriivka. Among them, Tatiana’s husband, who told BFMTV last May that he had discovered her husband’s body in the newly liberated city.
“His hands were tied, he was so tortured that we didn’t even recognize his face anymore. He had blood coming out of his ears and nose,” he said with tears in his eyes.
The fugitive ex-soldier in Spain
As the conflict enters its ninth month, Nikita Shibrin says she is ready to testify about the killing, raping and looting of Russian soldiers before an international criminal court.
“Russia must answer for its crimes. Soldiers must not attack civilians,” he said.
“Today Russia is a terrorist state and all those who preach the cause of terrorists must be punished. They do illegal things, ”she condemns.
The former soldier, who fled Ukraine hidden in a supply truck, now lives in Spain, where he has applied for asylum. He says that he receives “threats” and that he is wanted by the Russian secret services. Desertion is punishable by 10 years in prison in Russia.
Source: BFM TV
