General's death exposes dark legacy of Donetsk brigade
General Pavel Klimienko, commander of the 5th Independent Motorised Rifle Brigade, has been killed in Ukraine. According to foreign media, his brigade operates several locations in Donetsk where torture is allegedly practised, described by witnesses as a "concentration camp."
The news of General Pavel Klimienko's death was reported by the pro-Russian group "Donbas – the Heart of Russia" on VKontakte. His sisters confirmed this information in the comments.
According to "The Insider," Klimienko commanded the 5th Independent Motorised Rifle Brigade named after Alexander Zakharchenko, previously known as the "Oplot" battalion within the so-called Donetsk People's Republic. Before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he served in Crimea.
Klimienko's brigade responsible for the death of an American
As reported by the site "Important Stories," in May 2024, Klimienko was promoted to major general, just a month after the brutal murder of American citizen Russell Bentley, a former participant in the fighting in Donbas.
Sources say Bentley was killed due to torture inflicted by fighters from Klimienko's brigade at the site of the abandoned Petrovskaya mine in Donetsk. To conceal the evidence, Bentley's body was blown up. The investigation into this crime currently involves four soldiers from this brigade.
Russian brigade created a concentration camp
Meanwhile, in April, Klimienko's fighters allegedly tortured Vladimir Frolov, a music teacher with a third-degree disability, who was conscripted despite his poor health. Frolov tried to apply for a discharge from service but ended up in the so-called torture cells controlled by Klimienko's brigade. Sadly, he died. The family had to bury him in a closed coffin due to severe body damage.
In August 2024, the Astra site published an investigation revealing the brutal practices of the commanders of the 5th Independent Motorised Rifle Brigade named after Alexander Zakharchenko. Commanders were compelling subordinates into brutal actions through torture and were systematically profiting from the war in Ukraine.
According to sources gathered by "The Insider," in the Donetsk area, particularly in the Petrovsky district, this brigade operates several locations intended for torture, which are described as a "concentration camp with a torture conveyor belt."
At the site of the Petrovskaya mine, detained soldiers are placed in earthen pits, and those who refuse to participate in an assault are cruelly punished.
