General Klimienko's death unveils torture camp atrocities
General Pavel Klimienko, commander of the 5th Independent Motorized Rifle Brigade, has been killed in Ukraine. According to foreign media, his brigade operates several locations in Donetsk where torture is reported, described by witnesses as akin to a "concentration camp."
The news of General Pavel Klimienko's death was announced on the pro-Russian group "Donbas – the Heart of Russia" on VKontakte. His sisters confirmed the information in the comments section.
According to "The Insider," Klimienko commanded the 5th Independent Motorized Rifle Brigade, named after Alexander Zakharchenko, previously known as the "Oplot" battalion within the so-called Donetsk People's Republic. Before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he served in Crimea.
Klimienko's brigade responsible for the death of an American
As reported by "Important Stories," in May 2024, Klimienko was promoted to major general, just a month after the murder of American citizen Russell Bentley, a former participant in the fighting in Donbas.
Sources report that Bentley was killed due to torture inflicted by fighters from Klimienko's brigade at the site of the abandoned Petrovskaya mine in Donetsk. To cover their tracks, Bentley's body was blown up. The investigation into this crime currently includes four soldiers from this brigade.
Russian brigade created a concentration camp
In April, Klimienko's fighters allegedly tortured Vladimir Frolov, a music teacher with a third-degree disability who was mobilized despite his poor health. Frolov attempted to obtain a discharge from service but ended up in so-called torture cells controlled by Klimienko's brigade. Tragically, he died there. The family had to bury him in a closed coffin due to severe body damage.
In August 2024, the Astra website published an investigation exposing the brutal practices of the commanders of the 5th Independent Motorized Rifle Brigade, named after Alexander Zakharchenko. Commanders were coercing subordinates into violent actions through torture and systematically profiting from the war in Ukraine.
According to sources collected by "The Insider," in the Donetsk area, particularly in the Petrovsky district, this brigade operates several locations designed for torture, which are described as a "concentration camp with a torture conveyor belt."
At the site of the Petrovskaya mine, detained soldiers are placed in earthen pits, and those who refuse to participate in an assault face severe punishment.
