Ukrainian forces eliminate Russian soldier tied to Bucha crimes

According to the Ukrinform agency, citing a post on Telegram by Colonel Anatoly Stefan of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Ruslan Omaralinov has been eliminated. He was suspected of participating in the war crimes in Bucha, which occurred in March 2022.

Russian media report that Omaralinov had been residing in Pskov. The circumstances of the 24-year-old's death have not been disclosed, but it is known that it occurred in the Kursk region.

Omaralinov, together with his companions, allegedly detained a group of people in one of the houses. They were imprisoned and subjected to psychological torture, and mock executions were carried out on them. The Ukrainians were beaten, denied food and water, and not allowed to use the bathroom.

According to Ukrinform, soldiers from the 234th Pskov Air Assault Regiment, to which Omaralinov belonged, were involved in the killings on Yablonska Street, where the highest number of victims in Bucha were discovered. Journalists from "The New York Times" identified 22 soldiers who were present during the time of these murders. This information is detailed in a video published by the newspaper following an eight-month investigation.

Evidence suggests that these killings were part of a deliberate and systematic plan aimed at forcefully securing the road to Kyiv. Soldiers interrogated and executed unarmed men, as well as killed individuals who happened to cross their path—children fleeing with their families, locals searching for food, or people simply returning home on bicycles.

According to Ukrinform, during the occupation, the Russians killed over 1,700 people in the Bucha region, including 43 children. Some estimates suggest there were several hundred victims.