Russian serviceman remanded in custody for killing five Ukrainian soldiers and a civilian in Kharkiv region
A Russian national suspected of shooting dead five servicemembers of the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade and one civilian in Kharkiv region has been remanded in custody without the right to bail. The suspect, identified as 36-year-old Leonid Ryzhykov from Saint Petersburg, admitted his guilt in court and said he did not wish to be exchanged back to Russia. He is charged under Article 438 of Ukraine's Criminal Code with violations of the laws and customs of war resulting in death, which carries 10-15 years' imprisonment or life imprisonment.
Key points
- Suspect identified as Leonid Ryzhykov, a 36-year-old originally from Saint Petersburg who served in the 1009th Motor Rifle Regiment.
- Five slain servicemembers belonged to the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade named after the Black Zaporozhians; one civilian was also killed.
- On 13 October, the suspect shot a 60-year-old civilian fisherman in the village of Mykhailivka, Kharkiv district, then entered a house in the village of Momotove and killed five servicemembers.
- The suspect was detained on 14 October in Kharkiv's Saltivsky district by SBU officers together with the National Police and the National Guard.
- On 15 October he was charged under Part 2 of Article 438 of Ukraine's Criminal Code, which carries 10-15 years' imprisonment or life imprisonment.
- On 16 October a Kharkiv court imposed a preventive measure of arrest without bail for 60 days.
- The suspect admitted guilt in court, told the court he feared being killed himself, and said he did not intend to be exchanged back to Russia.
Why it matters
A captured Russian serviceman is facing a war-crimes prosecution under Ukraine's Criminal Code for the killing of Ukrainian soldiers and a civilian. The suspect's admission of guilt in open court and his statement that he does not wish to be exchanged back to Russia reinforce the war-crimes framing of the case. Ukrainian authorities are presenting his account of a mission to find and kill Ukrainian servicemembers as evidence of a deliberate pattern of Russian war crimes, including the execution-style targeting of soldiers and civilians.
What happened
On 14 October it became publicly known that five servicemembers of the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade had been shot dead in Kharkiv region. The same day, Interior Minister Vyhivsky stated that a Russian occupier was suspected of the killings. Investigators established that on 13 October the suspect had shot and killed a 60-year-old civilian fisherman in the village of Mykhailivka, Kharkiv district, then moved to the village of Momotove, entered a private house where five members of the 72nd Brigade were staying, and opened fire with an automatic weapon, killing all five on the spot. After the killings he discarded his weapon and continued toward Kharkiv. He was detained the next day, 14 October, in Kharkiv's Saltivsky district by SBU officers together with the National Police and the National Guard. On 15 October he was formally charged under Part 2 of Article 438 of Ukraine's Criminal Code (violation of the laws and customs of war resulting in death). On 16 October a Kharkiv court remanded him in custody for 60 days without the right to bail, at the request of a prosecutor from the Kharkiv Oblast Prosecutor's Office. At the remand hearing the suspect acknowledged his guilt, said he had committed the killings because he feared being killed himself, and stated that he did not intend to seek an exchange back to Russia. Investigators seized an AK-74 rifle identified as the instrument of the crimes.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All sourcing for this story is Ukrainian. Ukrainian outlets frame the case explicitly as a war-crimes prosecution under Article 438 of the Criminal Code, emphasizing the Russian nationality of the suspect and the targeting of Ukrainian servicemembers. Coverage highlights the suspect's admission of guilt at the court hearing and his statement that he does not wish to be exchanged back to Russia, presenting this as significant to the war-crimes narrative. Sources contextualize the killings within a broader pattern of Russian war crimes, including the execution of prisoners of war and attacks on civilians, and some outlets stress the role of soldiers from the 127th Kharkiv Brigade in locating the suspect among orchards and dacha settlements.
Where reporting differs
Different spellings are used for the Interior Minister's surname: some Ukrainian sources write 'Vyhivsky', while others use 'Vyhovskyi'.
Background
The five slain soldiers belonged to the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade named after the Black Zaporozhians, and the killings took place in villages in Kharkiv district before becoming public on 14 October. On 15 October the suspect was charged under Part 2 of Article 438 of Ukraine's Criminal Code, which covers violations of the laws and customs of war resulting in death and carries 10-15 years' imprisonment or life imprisonment. The suspect, identified as Leonid Ryzhykov, is a 36-year-old originally from Saint Petersburg who served in the 1009th Motor Rifle Regiment of the 68th Motor Rifle Division, part of the 6th Combined Arms Army of the Russian Armed Forces. Reports indicate he signed a Russian military contract while serving a prison sentence for theft and allegedly intended to come to the war zone and desert.