Who is the new 'Hero of Russia': 'Mamai' commander accused of torturing and executing his own soldiers
Colonel Ramil Faskhutdinov, the commander of the 5th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the Russian army, received the title of “Hero of Russia”, one of the highest awards of the Russian state, reports the independent publication Meduza.
Ramil Faskhutdinov was awarded the title of “Hero of Russia”. PHOTO: Astra
The distinction was handed to him by the Russian Minister of Defense, Andrei Belousov, in a ceremony organized before Russia Day.
The authorities did not specify what actions Faskhutdinov was decorated for. At the end of last year, he personally presented to President Vladimir Putin a report on the capture of the city of Mîrnohrad in the Ukrainian Donetsk region.
Allegations of torture and executions
According to investigations carried out by the independent publications iStories and Astra, Faskhutdinov is accused of numerous abuses against his own soldiers.
iStories cites relatives of soldiers in the brigade who claim that the officer would have sent wounded soldiers, some on crutches, into the attack. Other testimonies indicate that he ordered the execution of some Russian soldiers.
Astra reported that the 5th Brigade allegedly ran a makeshift detention center on the territory of an abandoned mine in the Donetsk region, where soldiers who refused to fight were allegedly tortured and subjected to other forms of abuse. According to the publication, some commanders allegedly extorted money from the soldiers sent there and then sent them in attacks with minimal chances of survival, in which large groups of soldiers are thrown successively against enemy positions.
Previously, Astra published the statements of some soldiers from the 5th Brigade who accused their superiors of systematic abuse. Evgheni Pak, commander of an assault group within the brigade, said Faskhutdinov, known by the nickname “Mamai”, allegedly forced several soldiers to record videos publicly denying the allegations after they were threatened with criminal charges.
The accusations have not been publicly commented on by the Russian authorities, and Meduza notes that they come from investigations and testimonies of the military and their relatives.
