NewsOfficers Linked to War Crimes Honoured at Moscow Victory Parade

Officers Linked to War Crimes Honoured at Moscow Victory Parade

War criminals seated next to Putin. One led the column

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10 May 2024 05:28

During Thursday's Victory Parade in Moscow, marking the 79th anniversary of the end of World War II, officers accused of war crimes during the Ukraine invasion were prominently placed behind Russian President Vladimir Putin. Colonel Azatbek Omurbekow of the Russian army dubbed the "Butcher of Bucha," spearheaded a tank column at the Victory Parade in Khabarovsk, Siberia.

First Lieutenant Chalym Chuldum-ool and Major Boris Dudko, implicated in the mistreatment of Yahidne village residents in the Chernihiv region and crimes in Bucha near Kyiv in March 2022, were seated beside the dictator. Both officers received the Heroes of Russia titles, as the agency reported, accompanied by a photo of Putin flanked by these officers.

Chuldum-ool, hailing from the Siberian Republic of Tuva, was celebrated for his contributions to the 55th Independent Motorized Rifle Brigade, a unit linked to the Yahidne atrocity. Russian media highlighted this officer's heroic stance for his actions in December 2023 in the Donetsk area, where he destroyed two vehicles carrying Ukrainian soldiers with grenade launcher shots, subsequently killing around 10 soldiers with firearms.

Dudko held the position of deputy commander in the 124th Independent Tank Battalion of the 76th Airborne Assault Division, which, as recalled by the portal, was implicated in the Bucha crimes. This division is situated in Pskov, western Russia.

Additionally, Captain Sergei Bacherikov, seated right behind Putin, was identified as a participant in the Ukraine invasion.

"The butcher of Bucha" leads a tank column

"Colonel Azatbek Omurbekow of the Russian army, known as the "butcher of Bucha," headed a tank column during the parade celebrating Thursday's Victory Day in Khabarovsk, Siberia," reported the ASTRA Russian independent channel on Telegram.

Omurbekow reportedly ordered his men to execute any Bucha residents found with a phone. ASTRA also reminded that Omurbekow had participated in the previous year's Victory Parade in Khabarovsk.

In November 2023, the U.S. State Department imposed sanctions on Omurbekow, prohibiting him and his family from entering the United States due to his involvement in the killing of unarmed civilians in Andriivka near Bakhmut in the Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine. The 64th Independent Motorized Rifle Brigade, under Omurbekow's command, gained notoriety for first occupying Bucha near Kyiv, where Russian soldiers perpetrated numerous civilian atrocities. Consequently, Vladimir Putin honoured both the commanding officer and his brigade.