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Daniil F. fought in the Ukraine War for several months. In an interview over the summer, he admitted that the Russians are killing civilians.
He killed defenseless civilians and robbed them. Russian soldier Daniil F.* (21) confessed in the summer that he and his comrades at the front in Ukraine committed war crimes. A man had to kneel on the floor in front of him. “I put a bullet in the back of his head,” he said of the execution, as the independent Russian news portal “Vashniye Istorii” (“Important Stories”) reported at the time. F. thought that the man had passed important information from the Russians to the Ukrainian army, he explains afterwards.
Now the military court in the Russian city of Khabarovsk has opened a criminal investigation against Daniil F. But not because of the war crimes in Ukraine. The 21-year-old is accused of spreading fake news about the Russian army. As can be seen from the court documents, he is accused of “selfish intentions”. What it is about in detail is not known, reports “Vashnije Istorii”.
Up to 15 years imprisonment
After the war broke out in Russia, a law was introduced that made spreading «fake news» about the Russian army a punishable offence. Anyone who, according to the authorities, spreads false information about the soldiers can go to jail for up to 15 years. Those found guilty of “discrediting” Russian armed forces are also threatened with high fines.
In the summer, local politician Alexej Gorinow (60) was sentenced to seven years in prison. The Muscovite was accused of having “knowingly spread false information” because he had criticized the war.
“I can’t reconcile this with my conscience”
To what extent Daniil F.’s confession discredited the actions of Russian troops in the eyes of the authorities is still unknown. He himself had not commented on this when asked by “Vashnije Istorii”. There is also a case against the Russian in Ukraine. He is accused of violating several laws of war. He faces life imprisonment.
After the man’s execution, Daniil F. declared that he could not kill anyone again. “I can’t reconcile that with my conscience, otherwise I would have killed myself.” At the same time, he criticized the Russian army and reproached his superiors. The commandos don’t give a damn about the soldiers who fight and die at the front.
“This war shouldn’t have happened”
And he went on to say that he still didn’t understand what he was fighting for and with whom. The superiors kept saying that the Russians would save Ukraine.
Neither he nor his comrades understood that correctly. «Supposedly we are trying to save the civilians from fascists. But without knowing it, we are destroying these civilians ourselves. What’s the point in continuing this war?”
It is unclear how Daniil F. will continue. After the interview in the summer, the 21-year-old submitted his resignation. He didn’t want to go back to the front. “I think it would have been better if this war hadn’t happened at all.” (jmh)
* Name known