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Ukrainian soldier admits killing civilians in Luhansk — Investigative Committee

The private from the Dnieper battalion received remuneration from Ukrainian tycoon Ihor Kolomoyskyi, Russia’s Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin says

MOSCOW, October 1. /TASS/. Sergei Litvinov, a private of the Dnieper battalion has admitted killing women and children in the Luhansk region for remuneration offered by tycoon Ihor Kolomoyskyi, Russia’s Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin said on Wednesday.

The Russian Investigative Committee has brought official charges against Sergei Litvinov for murdering innocent civilians during the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine

“Litvinov has testified that he personally killed peaceful civilians, including women and children who were not linked to the military conflict, in the villages of Melovoye, Shirokiy, Makarovo and Kamyshnoye /in Ukraine’s Lugansk region/ on the basis of information provided by anonymous sources,” Vladimir Markin, the head of the Russian Investigative Committee, said, adding Litvinov had received remuneration from oligarch Igor Kolomoisky’s personal funds for committing the murders.

"I would like to calm those who are going to accuse us of bringing the man into Russia from the territory of another state: this man has entered the Russian territory himself disguised as a peaceful civilian in order to be admitted to hospital. At present, Litvinov has been arrested and will be escorted to Moscow soon to undergo a psychological examination,” Markin said.

A psychological examination is a standard procedure required when someone is suspected of committing grave crimes against human life and health.

Russian investigators know names of Ukrainian commanders performing criminal orders

Russia's Investigations Committee knows the names of commanders of Ukrainian Armed Forces units who perform criminal orders of the Ukrainian state leaders, Vladimir Markin, the official spokesman for the committee said on Wednesday.

"Today we have the names of many commanders of army units, as well as militants of the Right Sector and the National Guard who are performing criminal orders of the Ukrainian military and state leadership," he said. 

Case against Ihor Kolomoyskyi

Basmanny district court of Moscow arrested in absentia the Governor of east-central Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk Region Ihor Kolomoyskyi in July. Russian law enforcement agencies accuse Kolomoyskyi of masterminding murders and use of banned ways and methods of warfare. He is suspected of initiating and financing military operations in south-eastern Ukraine, where over 3,000 people have been killed since April, according to the UN human rights office. Kolomoyskyi was put on international wanted list on June 21.

Kolomoyskyi, according to open sources, is one of the richest Ukrainian citizens, founder of the Privat financial and industrial group. Upon the decision of the Verkhovna Rada, Kolomoyskyi was appointed Governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region. In this office, he declared an active fight against the Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics and proposed to form at his expense military units for a raid against them.