Russian Soldier Faces Life in Prison over Alleged Killing of 5 Ukrainian Troops, Civilian in Kharkiv Oblast
Investigators say he shot a civilian and five unarmed servicemen, and he faces life imprisonment under Ukraine’s war crimes law.
- On Oct 15, the Security Service charged Russian soldier Leonid Ryzhikov with war crimes for killing five unarmed Ukrainian service members and a civilian in Kharkiv Oblast on Oct 13.
- Ryzhikov, a 36-year-old from Petersburg mobilized after serving eight years in prison, fled his Russian position near Starytsia on Oct 5-6 after coming under Ukrainian fire.
- Investigators allege Ryzhikov killed a 60-year-old civilian fishing near Mykhailivka on Oct 13, then entered a house in Momotove to shoot five unarmed Ukrainian service members who were not participating in combat.
- The SBU, National Police, and National Guard arrested Ryzhikov in Kharkiv's Saltivskyi district on Oct 14, recovering his AK-74. He faces life imprisonment under Article 438 of Ukraine's Criminal Code.
- This incident follows previous war crimes reports, including an Oct 25, 2025, case near Lyman Pershyi where a soldier allegedly killed six troops. Investigations into Ryzhikov's actions remain ongoing.
28 Articles
28 Articles
Russian soldier faces life in prison over alleged killing of 5 Ukrainian troops, civilian in Kharkiv Oblast
The suspect was identified as 36-year-old Leonid Ryzhikov, a Russian citizen from St. Petersburg who served in the 2nd Battalion of Russia's 1009th Motorized Rifle Regiment.
Russianin shot and killed five unarmed soldiers of the Ukrainian Defence Forces and one civilian man.
Ukraine Accuses Captured Russian Soldier of Executing Five Unarmed Troops, Killing Civilian
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has charged a captured Russian soldier with killing five unarmed Ukrainian servicemen and a civilian, according to the Security Service of Ukraine on October 15.
<p>The occupier, who shot five soldiers of the 72nd Brigade and a civilian in Kharkiv region, was informed of the suspicion that 36-year-old Russian soldier Leonid Ryzhykov was detained in Kharkiv region. He is suspected of killing five unarmed men military and civilian.</p>
Five Ukrainian soldiers slaughtered in a residential building and a civilian killed at point-blank not far away. Everything happened on October 13 in the Kharkiv region, in the northeast of Ukraine. After not even 24 hours of manhunt the regional prosecutor, the police, the Security Service (SBU) and the Interior Minister Ivan Vyhivskyi announced [...] The article Kharkiv's Strage, arrested a Russian military. The two escapes, the identity, the …
Five Ukrainian soldiers have been shot near Kharkiv. A suspected Russian soldier has been arrested. Meanwhile, both sides continue to attack critical infrastructure.
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