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Ukrainian Tornado battalion members accused of rape, torture, abductions in Donbass

Eight police officers from the Tornado company are suspected of committing a wide range of grave crimes in the zone of Kiev's military operation in the territory of the Luhansk Region

© AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka

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KIEV, September 30. /TASS/. The Chief Military Prosecutor’s Office of Ukraine has completed the prejudicial investigation of grave crimes in the area of Kiev’s military operation in Donbass that eight Tornado special purpose police patrol company officers are accused of, the Office reported Wednesday.

"The Chief Military Prosecutor’s Office of Ukraine has completed the prejudicial investigation of some episodes in the criminal proceedings regarding Tornado special purpose police patrol company officers," the Office said.

Eight police officers from the Tornado company are suspected of committing a wide range of grave and especially grave crimes in the zone of Kiev's military operation in the territory of the Luhansk Region in the period from December 2014 to June 2015.

They are charged with establishing a criminal group, abuse of office, rape, abductions, torture, resistance to authority and theft.

The Prosecutor’s Office said the episodes have been "proven."

Earlier, the eight police officers suspected of these crimes were arrested.

The prosecution will ask the court to sentence the eight police officers to maximum prison terms, Ukrainian Chief Military Prosecutor Anatoly Matios said on the 112 Ukraina TV channel.

Matios also said that a psychiatric examination of the suspects showed that they were sane.

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