Yurii Ohurtsov with the call sign “Vulcan”, who after the full-scale Russian invasion took part in the torture of civilians in occupied Kherson region, received a verdict in absentia for war crimes.
This is reported by Center for Journalistic Investigations.
The verdict concerns crimes committed in 2016–2017 in the temporarily occupied territory of Donetsk Oblast. At that time Ohurtsov served in the illegally created Ministry of State Security “DPR” and, according to the investigation, took direct part in abductions, unlawful detention and torture of civilians. The crimes occurred, in particular, in the torture chamber “Izolyatsia”, set up in the captured art space in Donetsk.
The Pavlohrad City District Court of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast found him guilty and imposed punishment – 12 years of imprisonment with confiscation of all property belonging to him.
Separately, the court is considering an episode related to Ohurtsov’s crimes in Kherson region.
According to the investigation, after the start of the full-scale Russian invasion he took part in the abduction and torture of a man who in August 2022 tried to leave the temporarily occupied territory of the oblast. The victim was unlawfully held in the guardhouse premises near the boarding house “Slava” seized by the occupiers in Skadovsk.
The hearing of this case is currently ongoing in court in the Kherson region. The next hearing is scheduled for February 12.