1/ Who are Russian army Major General Roman Geradotovich Demurchiev and his sexologist wife Alexandra, to whom he promised a garland of severed Ukrainian ears? Ukrainian sources paint a detailed picture of the Russian general currently at the centre of war crimes allegations. ⬇️
2/ Gigabytes of text and voice messages apparently hacked from Demurchiev's phone show that he was likely responsible for war crimes against Ukrainian POWs between 2022 and 2024, including murder, torture, and mutilation.
3/ The messages also illustrate the bitterly fractious and corrupt relationships between Russia's generals and senior leaders, with Demurchiev and his colleagues harshly criticising peers and superiors, and transferring money to pay for bribes.
4/ Demurchiev was born on 30 August 1978 in the city of Kazan to a Greek-Russian family. He takes his patronymic (and for a time his callsign) from his father Geradot ('Herodotus'). He appears to have been using the callsign 'Warrior' during the period covered by his messages.
5/ He was educated at the Kazan Suvorov Military School before going to the Ryazan Airborne School. In his third year there, he was expelled and dismissed from the army for stealing ammunition from the firing range.
6/ He subsequently volunteered as a contract soldier for the 104th Guards Airborne Division and fought in the First Chechen War between 1994 to 1996, earning an Order of Courage. After the war he was able to re-enter the Ryazan Airborne School and graduated as a lieutenant.
7/ During the Second Chechen War (1999-2009), Demurchiev commanded a reconnaissance platoon of the 1st Battalion of the 56th Guards Airborne Assault Cossack Regiment. He was made a lieutenant colonel at 30 and given command of the 1st Airborne Assault Battalion, 56th Regiment.
8/ By 2019 he had been made a full colonel, commanding the 70th Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment. He subsequently commanded the 42nd Motorized Rifle Division of the 58th Combined Arms Army, then the 136th Independent Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade (OMBr).
9/ As commander of the 136th OMBr, Demurchiev led it into southern Ukraine during the full-scale invasion of February 2022. His forces were reported to have committed massacres and war crimes, some of which are discussed in his hacked messages.
10/ In May 2022, Ukrainian sources alleged that he had mistakenly ordered an artillery strike on one of his own positions, as a result of which five Russian soldiers were killed and another six wounded. The Russian government reportedly censored news reports about the incident.
11/ On 6 June 2023, he was promoted to the rank of Major General and was put in command of around 2,000 Chechen soldiers who served with the 42 Motorised Rifle Division of the 58th All-Volunteer Army. He was awarded a medal by Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov in recognition of this.
12/ Demurchiev is married to his wife Alexandra and has two daughters, Anastasia and Elizabeth. Alexandra reportedly "does not work, but actively develops her social networks, in particular Instagram, which is banned in Russia, positioning herself as a 'socialite'."
13/ "On Telegram, she actively participates in sexology communities and various groups for lovers of non-traditional sexual relationships."
His eldest daughter Anastasia, who is currently 16, posts photos of herself in semi-erotic poses on Instagram and calls herself 'Lolita'.
14/ Demurchiev evidently keeps his wife informed of his activities in Ukraine. On 18 October 2022, he sent Alexandra a photo of two severed and blackened human ears hanging from a metal pipe, after his men captured a Ukrainian position.
15/ She asked:
– And then what do we do with them?
– I'll make a garland and give it to you as a gift.
- Like pig's ears with beer.
- Yeah.
16/ Like many families of senior Russian officers, the Demurchievs appear to enjoy a lifestyle far more luxurious than a general's relatively modest salary would ordinarily permit. Alexandra Demurchieva has documented it on her Instagram.
17/ They reportedly migrate between the Black and Azov Seas in occupied Crimea and the Caspian Sea in Dagestan. As Alexandra puts it, "I spent all three summer months by the sea. And I didn’t get tired of it 😀 . "
18/ "The seas and cities changed. Azov, Caspian, Black – each sea is beautiful and unique in its own way!"
19/ Demurchiev appears to be well-regarded as a combat general. He maintains cordial relations with a network of officers, and has been hailed as a hero by Russian propagandists.
20/ The messages show him to be a close friend of another (formerly) well-regarded general, Ivan Popov, who was convicted of corruption and imprisoned for five years in April 2025.
21/ They also show Demurchiev sending and receiving large sums of money to Popov to "put pressure on the divisional brotherhood", i.e. to pay bribes to influence their decisions. It's another illustration of the routine nature of corruption in the Russian military. /end
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