The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) declared the suspicion to Russian Lieutenant General deputy commander of Russiaʼs Central Military District Evgeny Poplavsky. According to the investigation, during the seizure of Lyman in Donetsk region, he led repressions against local members of the resistance movement.
The press service writes about it.
The investigators documented the facts when the suspect personally participated in torturing civilians. In particular, on April 20, 2022, the general and four of his subordinates broke into the home of a local. Poplavsky demanded from her husband to hand over his warehouse premises to the occupiers. There, the Russians planned to film a staged video about the distribution of "Gumdopomoga RF" ["Humanitarian aid of the Russian Federation"].
The man and his wife refused, then the Russian general ordered the woman to be locked in the basement, and the man to be captured and taken away. He was taken to one of the warehouses, and before that Poplavsky told a subordinate to throw a grenade into the basement, where the woman was, if her husband did not return in an hour.
At the warehouse, the person involved put a gun to the victimʼs temple and forced the local residents to "thank the occupiers for the help provided" on the video. The man still agreed.
Evgeny Poplavsky was declared a suspect under part 1 of Art. 438 of the Criminal Code (ordering actions that violate the laws and customs of war).
- At the end of August 2022, the Defense Forces launched a counteroffensive in the south and east of the country. In an evening video message on October 1, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Ukrainian flag had already been installed in Lyman, but the hostilities continued. On the same day, the Presidentʼs Office reported that the Armed Forces had completely liberated Lyman. On October 2, Zelensky informed that Lyman was cleared of Russian invaders, and two days later the Ukrainian flag was officially raised over Lyman.