Thread by @ChrisO_wiki

1/ Two Russian soldiers arrested for the massacre of a Ukrainian family of nine have been named as 21-year-old Anton Sopov (r) and 28-year-old Stanislav Rau (l), both from the Russian Far Eastern region of Primorsky Krai. Relatives have expressed shock at their alleged crimes. ⬇️

2/ The two soldiers are reported to be serving as volunteer contract soldiers of the 155th Separate Guards Order of Zhukov Marine Brigade of the Pacific Fleet. Both men are reportedly debtors with previous criminal records and had joined the army to pay off their debts.

3/ The two served with the Wagner Group prior to the Prigozhin mutiny, and subsequently joined the Russian Army. They were photographed in August with the governor of the Kamchatka Territory, Vladimir Solodov, who gave them awards and a cuddly toy mascot.

4/ The men reportedly fought as part of a Storm Z detachment at Novomaiorske, west of Vuhledar and not far from Volnovakha where the killings took place. Sopov, whose call sign was 'Chemist', was publicised in propaganda stories in RT and Izvestia and was filmed carrying the toy.

5/ They are said to have admitted that they "only wanted to get even with the men – Eduard [Kapkanets] and his son Alexander, who allegedly offended them." They claim to have killed the women and children "by accident, as they could not recognize the victims in the dark."

6/ According to Russian law enforcement sources, the suspects also admitted that they had been afraid of leaving witnesses behind. A source says that they may have used silenced Val or Vintorez rifles to commit the crime. Shell casings left behind were traced to army supplies.

7/ None of the neighbours heard or saw anything, and the investigation was made harder by the lack of video surveillance in the 'Donetsk People's Republic'. However, one of the suspects was renting a room near the victim's house and stored a motorcycle in the yard.

8/ According to Kommersant, the soldiers may have been drunk at the time of the killing. Several alternative motives have been put forward by local people. One is that Eduard Kapkanets had made a provocative remark to one of the men a few hours earlier.

9/ The soldiers reportedly "came to the district shop to buy vodka, being already in a state of heavy drinking, and their visit did not please the local customers."

10/ Another version suggests that Eduard and Alexander Kapkanets were themselves selling alcohol and the dispute arose over payment for the goods. By nightfall, Kommersant says, the soldiers were completely drunk and went to the house on a motorcycle to kill the whole family.

11/ Although there were initially claims that the Russian authorities would try to cover up the killings, they appear to have been too gruesome and outrageous to ignore. The investigation was rapid and apparently quickly effective.

https://twitter.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/1719254960833990806

12/ Rau's brother says he is "in complete shock, I can't believe it. I think the war has knocked his head off." Some of Rau's relatives reportedly believe that he has been framed and several 'patriotic' Russian Telegram channels have posted messages in his support.

13/ The killings highlight the harmful effect that the widespread abuse of alcohol is having on discipline in the Russian army. It may also not be a coincidence that the suspects are ex-Wagner fighters and current Storm Z members, likely having had very traumatic experiences.

Sources:
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🔹t.me/vchkogpu/43381
t.me/vchkogpu/43397
t.me/vsolodovbrief/…
lenta.ru/news/2023/11/0…
kommersant.ru/doc/6311849
iz.ru/1583308/2023-1…
dzen.ru/a/ZUZdJUcljVI8…
vk.com/wall-35660695_…