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6/19/2025, 4:30:02 PM
Killed in action while wanted for desertion: Russian soldier belonged to notorious brigade
A Russian soldier killed in eastern Ukraine this week was simultaneously on a federal wanted list for desertion, a case that casts a stark light on the practices of a military unit already notorious for allegations of extreme brutality, torture, and forcing wounded men back into battle.
Andrei Serdechny, 44, from the occupied Ukrainian city of Snizhne, was reportedly killed in combat near Pokrovske in the Donetsk region on 16 June. However, at the time of his death, he was officially a wanted criminal in Russia, having been placed on a federal search list on 18 April for abandoning his military post, the independent Russian news outlet ASTRA reported. His relatives confirmed the details.
Serdechny served in the 5th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade (Military Unit 41698), a formation of the so-called Donetsk People's Republic (DNR) with a well-documented history of abuse.
The unit has been the subject of multiple investigations by ASTRA. Previous reports have included video footage appearing to show wounded soldiers, some on crutches, being gathered and sent back to the front line. The outlet has also published extensive testimony from soldiers alleging that commanders from the 5th and 110th brigades operated a "concentration camp" in an abandoned mine in Donetsk to punish their own men.
According to sources, it was at this mine that soldiers from the 5th brigade tortured Russell Bentley, a US citizen and pro-Kremlin blogger, before his death in April. The site was also allegedly used to torture Russian soldiers who refused to fight, who were then forced to participate in deadly "suicide assaults."
A Russian soldier killed in eastern Ukraine this week was simultaneously on a federal wanted list for desertion, a case that casts a stark light on the practices of a military unit already notorious for allegations of extreme brutality, torture, and forcing wounded men back into battle.
Andrei Serdechny, 44, from the occupied Ukrainian city of Snizhne, was reportedly killed in combat near Pokrovske in the Donetsk region on 16 June. However, at the time of his death, he was officially a wanted criminal in Russia, having been placed on a federal search list on 18 April for abandoning his military post, the independent Russian news outlet ASTRA reported. His relatives confirmed the details.
Serdechny served in the 5th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade (Military Unit 41698), a formation of the so-called Donetsk People's Republic (DNR) with a well-documented history of abuse.
The unit has been the subject of multiple investigations by ASTRA. Previous reports have included video footage appearing to show wounded soldiers, some on crutches, being gathered and sent back to the front line. The outlet has also published extensive testimony from soldiers alleging that commanders from the 5th and 110th brigades operated a "concentration camp" in an abandoned mine in Donetsk to punish their own men.
According to sources, it was at this mine that soldiers from the 5th brigade tortured Russell Bentley, a US citizen and pro-Kremlin blogger, before his death in April. The site was also allegedly used to torture Russian soldiers who refused to fight, who were then forced to participate in deadly "suicide assaults."
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