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Russian Commander Accused of Torturing Ukrainian POWs, Branding Victim With “Z”

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Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko
Dariia Mykhailenko
News Writer
An SSU officer participates in the presentation of the next-generation Sea Baby unmanned surface vehicle, developed by the Security Service of Ukraine, in Ukraine, on October 17, 2025. (Source: Getty Images)
An SSU officer participates in the presentation of the next-generation Sea Baby unmanned surface vehicle, developed by the Security Service of Ukraine, in Ukraine, on October 17, 2025. (Source: Getty Images)

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has identified another Russian serviceman involved in war crimes against Ukrainians.

The suspect is Volodymyr Polupoltinnykh, commander of the so-called “6th Separate Cossack Motorized Rifle Brigade of the LNR ,” which operates as part of the Russian Armed Forces under the Southern Military District, SBU reported on November 3.

According to the investigation, on June 10, 2022, Polupoltinnykh ordered his subordinates to torture Ukrainian soldiers captured during fighting on the eastern front.

Investigators also established that he personally took part in the torture. Evidence confirms that during one such incident, Polupoltinnykh carved the letter “Z”  into the forehead of a Ukrainian prisoner of war using a knife.

The suspect is a resident of the temporarily occupied part of Luhansk region and has been a member of Russian-controlled illegal armed groups since 2014. Following the start of the full-scale invasion, he continued to fight with Russian occupation forces in eastern Ukraine.

SBU investigators have formally charged Polupoltinnykh in absentia under Part 1 of Article 28 and Part 1 of Article 438 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code—violation of the laws and customs of war committed by a group of persons.

Earlier, Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office charged a Russian army platoon commander suspected of involvement in the killing of at least 17 civilians in Bucha.

Investigators say he ordered and took part in the murders and is also accountable for the illegal actions of his subordinates. He is one of six Russian servicemen accused of committing atrocities in Bucha, convinced their crimes would go unpunished, the office said on October 31.

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“LNR” stands for the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic — a Russian-installed, self-proclaimed entity in eastern Ukraine. It was created by Moscow-backed separatists in 2014 and controlled parts of the Luhansk region until Russia formally declared its annexation in 2022.

The “Z” symbol is a pro-war emblem used by Russia since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

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