Putin, flanked by officers accused of war crimes at Victory Parade

During Thursday's Victory Parade in Moscow, marking the 79th anniversary of the conclusion of World War II, officers accused of war crimes during the Ukraine invasion were positioned in a line directly behind Russian President Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, Colonel Azatbek Omurbekow of the Russian army, dubbed the "Butcher of Bucha," spearheaded a tank column at the Victory Parade in Khabarovsk, Siberia.

First Lieutenant Chalym Chuldum-ool and Major Boris Dudko, implicated in the mistreatment of Yahidne village residents in the Chernihiv region and crimes in Bucha near Kyiv in March 2022, were seated next to the dictator. As reported by the agency, both officers were honoured with the title of Heroes of Russia. Accompanying the report, the portal published a photo displaying Putin amidst these officers.

Chuldum-ool, hailing from the Republic of Tuva in Siberia, was celebrated for his contributions to the 55th Independent Motorized Rifle Brigade, a unit blamed for the Yahidne incident. Russian media highlighted this officer's "heroic actions", reporting that in December 2023, in the Donetsk region, he destroyed two Ukrainian military vehicles using grenade launchers before personally eliminating approximately ten soldiers with gunfire, according to the portal.

Dudko was deputy commander in the 124th Independent Tank Battalion of the 76th Airborne Assault Division. The portal reminded its readers that this division, stationed in Pskov in western Russia, was involved in the Bucha atrocities.

Omurbekow was the commander who ordered his troops to shoot any Bucha residents found with a phone - the channel detailed. ASTRA also reminded its audience that Omurbekow was featured in the previous year's victory parade in Khabarovsk.