War crimes charges filed against Russian soldier Viacheslav Izgrebin who ordered shelling of elderly man’s home

In the Sumy region, a Russian serviceman has been officially notified of suspicion for violating the laws and customs of war, combined with premeditated murder, the National Police of Ukraine reported.

The suspect is identified as a 34-year-old man.

Although authorities have not officially released his name, recent indictment details match those of Viacheslav Izgrebin, a tank commander from military unit No. 58198, part of the 1st Tank Army of the Russian Western Military District.

The incident allegedly took place on February 27, 2022, during the early stages of the occupation of the Sumy Oblast. While traveling between the villages of Hirne and Opolonske, the suspect reportedly ordered a tank strike on a residential home in Stare Selo.

According to investigators, the Russian forces conducted at least two strikes, killing the 61-year-old homeowner.

Izgrebin faces up to 15 years in prison or a life sentence, along with the confiscation of property. The official report does not specify whether the identities of the Russian servicemen who executed the order have been established.

Furthermore, police reports leave it unclear if the charges were issued in absentia. While there were reports earlier in the nearly four-year full-scale war that Izgrebin had been taken prisoner, prosecutors now state their intent to place him on a wanted list.

This follows the precedent of Ivan Savchenko, a former Crimean serviceman who was sentenced in absentia for kidnapping two brothers from the Kyiv Oblast and forcibly removing them to Belarus.