Overview
- Investigative unit Schemes says it obtained gigabytes of internal chats, audio, photos, and video attributed to Major General Roman Demurchiyev and other officers from 2022–2024.
- The materials include photos of severed human ears that Demurchiyev shared with fellow soldiers and his wife, who responded approvingly, according to the investigation.
- In one exchange, Demurchiyev offered a Ukrainian prisoner to an FSB officer known as Grek and asked whether to dispose of him or hand him over, with messages referencing torture instruments.
- RFE/RL reports night‑vision footage and chats apparently showing two army convicts beating three Ukrainian POWs to death with sappers’ shovels, with a senior officer suggesting they be considered for medals.
- Reporters say they identified a Ukrainian volunteer from Zaporizhzhia who confirmed beatings and electric shocks during captivity before a 2025 exchange, while Demurchiyev ended a call seeking comment and later blocked further contact.