Russian police officers killed in attack in Moscow. Ukraine claims they were involved in torturing prisoners of war
Russian policemen patrolling in the capital Moscow, PHOTO: CNSphoto / Alamy / Profimedia Images
Two police officers involved in torturing Ukrainian prisoners of war were killed in an explosion in Moscow, writes The Kyiv Independent, citing sources from Ukraine's military intelligence service, HUR.
Russia's Investigative Committee confirmed that the explosion killed two policemen, as well as a third person nearby. The committee did not specify whether the latter was the attacker. According to HUR sources, the officers were involved in the systematic torture of Ukrainian prisoners, thus violating the Geneva Conventions.
The attack appears to be part of a campaign targeting Russian officials involved in war crimes committed in Ukraine. Previously, the two officers would have participated in the Russian campaign in Ukraine.
The attack allegedly took place on the night of December 23-24, when a man approached a police car parked near a police station and threw an improvised explosive device through the car's window. The explosion killed two policemen and injured two others.
The fate of the attacker is uncertain
HUR sources claim that the attacker acted “as a protest against the aggressive policy of the Kremlin”. Russian authorities have not confirmed this. The pro-Kremlin publication RBC Russia identified the attacker as Pavel Golubenko (24), citing a police source. The publication did not say whether Golubenko died in the explosion.
According to the Baza Telegram channel, Golubenko lived in the village of Kamenka in the Ivanovo region and worked in a factory. His relatives have not confirmed his death.
The Investigative Committee stated that it has opened a file for the attempt on the lives of law enforcement officers and for the trafficking of explosive substances.
Since the beginning of the invasion, Russian forces have been repeatedly accused by Ukraine and international organizations of widespread mistreatment of prisoners.
The incident comes shortly after another attack that took place at the beginning of the week. On December 22, Fanil Sarvarov, head of the operational training department of the Russian Army General Staff, was killed when his car exploded.
