Ukrainian soldier claims commander ordered him to kill civilians in Kursk Region
A Ukrainian soldier has admitted to killing a civilian in Russia’s Kursk Region under orders from his commander, officials have reported. The case, detailed on Thursday by the Investigative Committee, adds to the ongoing inquiries into alleged atrocities in the village of Russkoye Porechnoye, recently liberated by Russian forces.
The suspect, identified as Vladimir Parafilo, 41, was a private in Ukraine’s 92nd Assault Brigade before being captured. In footage released by the Russian investigative agency, Parafilo claimed that his commander – known only by his callsign – directed troops to execute any civilians encountered in Russkoye Porechnoye.
Parafilo confessed to shooting one man following this instruction, an act now classified by Russian authorities as terrorism. If convicted, he and his commander could face life imprisonment.
Russian investigators have reported multiple incidents related to Russkoye Porechnoye, alleging that Ukrainian soldiers raped, tortured, and murdered local residents. Senior officials have asserted that these acts reflect a broader Ukrainian governmental policy endorsing war crimes as a strategy of terror.
Last month, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Western nations providing military assistance to Kiev of complicity in Ukrainian atrocities, stating: “The world must understand who the West is sponsoring with these hundreds of billions of dollars and euros.”
Ukrainian forces launched their incursion into Kursk Region last August in a bid to divert Russian troops from other parts of the front line and to seize Russian territory for leverage. Last week, regional officials reported that more than 2,000 local residents are currently missing.
