Ukraine accuses Russian soldier of killing six people in Kharkiv Oblast

A Russian soldier who shot dead five unarmed Ukrainian defence forces servicemen and one civilian in Kharkiv Oblast on 13 October has been served with a notice of suspicion, according to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Kharkiv Oblast Prosecutor’s Office.

Suspect in murder of soldiers. Photo provided by Ukrainska Pravda’s sources in law enforcement agencies

Previously, law enforcement officers detained a Russian serviceman on suspicion of killing five Ukrainian soldiers and a civilian, the Kharkiv Oblast Prosecutor’s Office, Interior Minister Ivan Vyhivskyi and the SBU reported.

According to the prosecutor’s office, on 14 October 2026, a 36-year-old Russian citizen, a native of St Petersburg and a serviceman of the 2nd Battalion of the 1009th Motor Rifle Regiment of the Russian Armed Forces, was detained in Kharkiv and is accused of involvement in the murder of five Ukrainian Armed Forces servicemen and a civilian man.

According to the investigation, the man could have been part of a sabotage and reconnaissance group of the Russian Armed Forces. To avoid being recognised, he changed into civilian clothes.

The prosecutor’s office said that he first reached the Tsyrkuny hromada. There, near a body of water, he saw a man fishing. According to preliminary data, the Russian soldier feared the civilian would expose him, so he killed the man. An examination of the body revealed a through-and-through gunshot wound to the head.

On 13 October, the armed Russian citizen reached the village of Momotove in the Kharkiv District, broke into a private house where members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were living, and killed five soldiers of the 72nd Brigade.

After this, he fled the scene, disposed of his weapon and moved through a forest belt towards Kharkiv.

A significant number of police officers from the Kharkiv Region (Oblast), military personnel from the Military Law Enforcement Service, representatives of the SBU, the prosecutor’s office and the National Guard were involved in the search for the suspect, according to Vyhivskyi.

“In less than 24 hours, our units covered tens of square kilometres of territory, including the killer’s likely routes and places where he could have been hiding. An hour ago, the suspect was detained,” the minister said.

The detainee had previously been convicted of a crime in Russia, according to the SBU.

Based on the gathered evidence, investigators from the SBU have served a notice of suspicion on a detained Russian serviceman under Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (war crimes resulting in deaths). 

ZMINA and other media earlier reported that the proposal to bar Russian combatants from entering the EU faced resistance from France and Italy during negotiations on the bloc’s 21st sanctions package against Russia. Paris and Rome raised legal and practical concerns over the measure and argued that restrictions on Russian military personnel should be addressed through the EU’s visa policy rather than the sanctions framework. The proposal was subsequently narrowed to short-stay visas and people who had directly participated in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

The EU ultimately adopted its 21st sanctions 23 July on July 23, but the full entry ban was not included as an immediate measure. 

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