Four Russian Troops Face Charges for the Killing of an American in Donbass
Four Russian soldiers have been charged in connection with the murder of an American working for the Sputnik news agency in Donbass, according to justice authorities. Read Full Article at RT.com.
Authorities in Russia have charged four members of the Donetsk People’s Republic militia with the kidnapping and murder of the 63-year-old Bentley earlier this year.
Bentley, who was born in Texas, joined the DPR militia in 2014 during an uprising against the pro-Kiev forces following the coup that ousted the Ukrainian government. He later became a Russian citizen and served as a stringer for Sputnik news agency. He went missing on April 8 during a Ukrainian artillery attack in Donetsk.
The committee noted on its website that servicemen Vitaly Vasnyatsky, Vladislav Agaltsev, Vladimir Bazhin, and Andrey Iordanov—part of the ‘Oplot’ brigade, which was previously the DPR militia—have been charged with various criminal offenses. These include violence and torture leading to death, and concealing a serious crime.
“Depending on the role of each, they are accused of committing by a group of persons of acts clearly beyond their authority, using physical violence and torture, which resulted in the death of journalist Russell Bentley through negligence, as well as concealing a particularly serious crime by moving his remains to another location,” the committee stated.
The defendants have been informed of the criminal case materials. “On October 28, 2024, the indictment was approved,” the committee reported, indicating that the case has been forwarded to the Donetsk Garrison Military Court for its proceedings.
Investigators allege that Vasnyatsky, Agaltsev, and Iordanov assaulted Bentley on April 8, and the subsequent torture inadvertently resulted in his death. They reportedly detonated a block of TNT to destroy a VAZ 2115 car containing Bentley's body. The next day, Vasnyatsky allegedly instructed Bazhin to relocate Bentley’s remains to cover up the crime.
Bentley’s widow, Lyudmila, was the first to raise concerns about her husband's disappearance, seeking intervention from Russian President Vladimir Putin as well as assistance from RTN and Sputnik.
On April 19, RTN editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan confirmed Bentley’s death, prompting the Investigative Committee to initiate its investigation shortly thereafter.
Sophie Wagner contributed to this report for TROIB News