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Bosnia-Born Mercenary Fighting for Russia Accused of Torture Campaign Near Kyiv
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Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has issued an in absentia war crimes notice against Bosnian-Serbian mercenary Davor Savičić, accusing him of torturing civilians during Russia’s occupation of parts of the Kyiv region in 2022.
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According to the SBU on May 27, Savičić commanded the Russian reconnaissance and sabotage unit “Volki” (“Wolves”), which operated as part of Russia’s “Vostok” military grouping in the Bucha and Vyshhorod districts during the early months of the full-scale invasion.
Investigators identified Savičić as a 46-year-old dual citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Russia. Ukrainian authorities said he joined Russia’s private military structure “Redut” in late 2021 and later recruited foreign mercenaries into the “Volki” detachment.
According to the SBU, the unit established a base in forested areas between the villages of Shybene and Krasnyi Rih in the Bucha district.
One documented case cited by investigators took place in the village of Fedorivka in the Vyshhorod district. Ukrainian authorities said Savičić ordered the detention of a 39-year-old civilian who had been sheltering from shelling.
The man was reportedly taken to a forest camp used by Russian forces, where he was beaten during interrogations and pressured to provide statements for Russian propaganda media.
The SBU said members of the unit also tied the victim to a tree alongside a grenade with the safety pin removed. After refusing to cooperate, the man was allegedly forced to dig a pit where he was held for seven days without food or water while remaining bound.
Ukrainian investigators also linked Savičić to the abduction and interrogation of the wife of a Ukrainian veteran in the town of Ivankiv. According to the SBU, Russian forces held the woman inside a van for several days without basic living conditions and questioned her about the Ukrainian military while demanding she participate in propaganda recordings.
Following the liberation of the Kyiv region, Ukrainian authorities discovered the body of her husband in a forest area near the former Russian position. Investigators said the individuals responsible for the killing are still being identified.
A March 2025 investigation by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) identified Savičić as a reported colonel in Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU, citing a leaked Russian military hospital database containing more than 165,000 records linked to wounded Russian servicemen and foreign fighters.
According to the RFE/RL investigation, the leaked records described Savičić as an officer connected to Russia’s military intelligence structure rather than only a mercenary recruiter. The outlet reported that his “Volki” unit signed contracts with the Russian military structure “Redut,” which RFE/RL previously described as a GRU-linked front used to recruit fighters for combat operations in Ukraine.
RFE/RL also reported that Savičić appeared in Russian propaganda media in 2023 calling on “both Russians and Serbs” to join his volunteer formation. The investigation linked him to previous operations in Syria and to the now-defunct Wagner Group.
The SBU stated that Savičić is already known to INTERPOL and law enforcement agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina for alleged involvement in foreign armed formations and participation in conflicts during the breakup of Yugoslavia. Ukrainian authorities also said he is under sanctions imposed by the UK and Ukraine.
Russian forces occupied parts of the Kyiv region, including Bucha, Irpin, and surrounding settlements, during the first weeks of the full-scale invasion in 2022. After the withdrawal of Russian troops, Ukrainian authorities documented mass civilian killings, torture sites, and other war crimes across the region.
Earlier, the SBU identified Russian commander Volodymyr Polupoltinnykh as a suspect in the torture of Ukrainian POWs, including branding one prisoner with the letter “Z” using a knife, according to investigators.
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