Russian soldiers torture and blow up body of | Political News

Four Russian soldiers have been sentenced to prison in Russian-occupied Donetsk on Monday for killing an American pro-Kremlin fighter and propagandist Russell Bentley, according to Russia’s Investigative Committee. 

Vitaly Vansyatsky, Vladislav Agaltsev, Vladimir Bazhin, and Andrei Iordan have been sentenced to 1.5 to 12 years in prison for their involvement in the crime last yr.

The American national, nicknamed “Texas,” went lacking on April 8, 2024. In September that yr, the Investigative Committee said the 4 Russian soldiers murdered Bentley and tried to disguise the crime.

Vansyatsky, Agaltsev, and Iordanov attacked and tortured Bentley to death on April 8, according to the court, which alleged that Vansyatsky and Agaltsev then blew up a car with Bentley’s body, and the next day, Bazhin helped to disguise the stays.

All 4 accused pleaded guilty. The court sentenced Vansyatsky and Iordanov to 12 years in prison, Agaltsev to 11 years, and Bashin to 1.5 years. Vansyatsky, Iordanov, and Agaltsev have been also stripped of their rank.

Bentley, a convicted drug trafficker, U.S. navy veteran, and self-described communist, arrived in Ukraine in 2014 to be part of the Russian proxy forces in Donbas. He claimed he got here to struggle “against fascism,” repeating Kremlin propaganda about the “fascist-ruled” authorities in Kyiv.

He acquired Russian citizenship in 2020, launched his YouTube channel, and labored as a “war correspondent” for Sputnik, a Russian propaganda channel.

While efforts to recruit overseas nationals to struggle in Ukraine picked up tempo after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia was actively recruiting and transporting overseas fighters to be part of Moscow-backed proxy forces in Donbas since 2014.

In South Africa, a radio presenter was accused of recruiting males to struggle for Russia in the conflict in Ukraine last month.

Thirty-nine-year-old Nonkululeko Mantula was arrested, along with 4 other males, following a tip-off, according to South African police. Mantula, who is a presenter on the state broadcaster’s SAFM radio station, is accused of recruiting the 4 males and organizing for them to be part of the Russian military.

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Last month, the South African authorities said it had acquired worrying calls from 17 South Africans, who have been trapped in jap Ukraine after being compelled to struggle for a Russian mercenary group. One South African political occasion alleged it had info that the passports and garments of the South African males have been burned, and their cellphones have been confiscated after they arrived in Russia.

Russia has been accused of recruiting males from other nations to struggle in the conflict under the pretext of offering them jobs. There are also accusations of Russia tricking South African ladies and ladies from other elements of Africa into working in Russian drone factories through social media campaigns promising them jobs in fields like catering and hospitality.