FSB of the Russian Federation employee Oleksii Leonov was informed of suspicion for torturing a Kherson couple in spring 2022. This concerns events that took place on March 25 during the occupation of Kherson.
This was reported on the website of the Office of the Prosecutor General.
According to the investigation, Leonov, born in 1975, a native of Leningrad Oblast of the Russian Federation, who held Ukrainian citizenship and was registered in Krasnoperekopsk, acted together with other Russian military personnel. He is accused of cruel treatment of the civilian population, committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy.
At about 11:00 on March 25, 2022, Leonov, together with other armed Russian military, arrived at the Kherson couple’s house to carry out a search. The man was immediately tied up and placed in a car. During the search, the occupiers found Ukrainian military uniforms in the house.
After that Leonov began to beat the woman. He struck her in the face with his fist, causing her to fall to the floor, placed his foot on her chest and pressed. Together with other military personnel, they kicked the victim on the torso, back, and face.
Later Leonov tied the woman’s hands with thermal underwear pants, ordered another soldier to hold her mouth open and began pouring vodka into it. During this he interrogated her about cooperation with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Not receiving answers, he inflicted further kicks to the woman’s chest and kidney area, after which he put a pistol to her eye, simulating a shooting.
After that the couple were taken to a temporary detention facility seized by the occupiers at 3 Teploenerhetykiv Street in Kherson. There Leonov struck the man with the butt of an assault rifle in the ribs, and other soldiers continued interrogating both victims with beatings.
The couple were held in the detention facility until June 8, 2022 in unsanitary conditions: food was provided no more than once a day, there was no medical care, walks were prohibited. On June 8 they were released without any documents stating the grounds for detention.
Oleksii Leonov is charged under Part 2 of Article 28 and Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.