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Russian forces eliminated a group of Georgian mercenaries, who were fighting on the Ukrainian side and were allegedly involved in the abuse and murders of the Russian prisoners, Russian military spokesman Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov said on Monday.
According to Konashenkov, on June 26, three kilometers from the Lisichansk oil refinery in the Lugansk People’s Republic, Russian units “destroyed two sabotage and reconnaissance groups of mercenaries with a total number of 14 militants.”
The first group, according to the spokesman, “consisted of citizens of various European countries,” while the second one listed only mercenaries from the so-called Georgian Legion. According to Konashenkov, “Georgian militants were involved in the brutal torture and murder of Russian servicemen near Kiev in March this year.”
Since the launch of the Russian military offensive in Ukraine at the end of February, Moscow and Kiev have been accusing each other of abuse and torture, as well as of atrocities against civilians.
In May, the Russian Investigative Committee said it was looking into a video published on social media, showing a Georgian mercenary beating a captured Russian soldier.
Tatyana Moskalkova, Russia’s top human rights official, voiced concerns this month over the treatment of Russian prisoners in Ukraine. The International Red Cross had not provided any information about visits to check on the conditions the Russian POWs have been kept in, she claimed.