Russian Accused of Ordering Violent Dispersal of Protest
Guardsmen fired in the air and used stun grenades, tear gas and rubber batons against non-violent rally.
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Tuesday, 11 July ‘23
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Russian Accused of Ordering Violent Dispersal of Protest
Guardsmen fired in the air and used stun grenades, tear gas and rubber batons against non-violent rally.
A Russian officer faces trial for allegedly ordering troops to use violence to disperse a peaceful civilian protest in the southern Ukrainian city of Nova Kakhovka, occupied just after the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
Vladimir Anufriev, 36, is a native of the Krasnodar region of Russia and commander of the tactical group of the 378th separate operational battalion of the Southern District of the National Guard of the Russian Federation. At around 11am on February 26, 2022, on the third day of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Anufriev and the Russian armed formations entrusted to him occupied the administrative building of the Nova Kakhovka city council.
The city of Nova Kakhovka is located in the Kherson region on the left bank of the Dnipro river and has been occupied by Russian troops since February 24, 2022. Before the war it had a population of about 45,000.
The Ukrainian investigation considers that Anufriev began to manage the city as an occupation commandant after the capture of the Nova Kakhovka city council. Together with his subordinates, he ensured the suppression of the resistance of the local population and encouraged the cooperation of Ukrainian citizens.
On the orders of the occupation authorities, “illegal detentions, illegal imprisonments, and murders of civilians were systematically committed in the territory of the city of Nova Kakhovka," the case documents state.
On the morning of March 6, 2022, residents of Nova Kakhovka held a peaceful protest in support of Ukraine and against the occupation of the city by Russian troops. People carried Ukrainian flags and sang the national anthem.
According to local mass media reports, more than 5,000 residents attended the rally that day, marching through the city centre, along Pershotravneva Street and Dniprovskiy Avenue to the city council building guarded by the Russian military.
According to the court documents, Anufriev, in the premises of the Nova Kakhovka City Council, then ordered his subordinates - who were not identified at the time of the pre-trial investigation - to disperse the demonstrators by force.
About 50 Russian guardsmen in uniform, body armour, balaclavas and helmets then used excessive and indiscriminate force to disperse the peaceful protesters. The Russian military, stationed in the backyard of the building of the Nova Kakhovka City Council, began firing guns and throwing stun grenades into the crowd. Guardsmen also used rubber batons and tear gas against the civilians.
"They started shooting in the air, then threw stun grenades, and fired tear gas,” eyewitness Serhii Tsygipato told Radio Liberty after the event. A Nova Kakhovka activist and military veteran, he was abducted by the Russian military on March 12 2022 and remains in captivity. “The first civilians were wounded after this. There were doctors in our column, they were given first aid, and afterwards they were taken to the hospital.”
As a result of the forceful dispersal of the meeting, three participants received medium and light injuries from shrapnel: a 40-year-old woman, a 19-year-old boy and a 49-year-old man. Local media reported that a total of five people required medical treatment.
Ukrainian investigators believe that Anufriev is still in occupied Nova Kakhovka and hiding from law enforcement agencies. On April 4, 2023, Kherson police investigators informed him in absentia about the suspicion. On April 26, the Central District Court of Mykolaiv city gave permission for a special pre-trial investigation in this case.
The materials of the court register indicate that there are witnesses in the case, both participants of the peaceful meeting and others who directly heard how the accused gave the order to disperse the peaceful rally by force. During an investigative experiment, with the help of witnesses and extras, it was found that the order was clearly audible from the place where the witness was located. Anufriev was also identified by witnesses from a photograph.
According to Part 1 of Art. 438 of the criminal code of Ukraine concerning the violation of the laws and customs of war, he faces from eight to 12 years of imprisonment.
On May 16, 2023, the Suvorovsky District Court of Odesa city received an indictment in the case of Anufriev, and on May 29, the court opened a preliminary hearing and summoned the Russian commander to court.
The meeting on June 29 did not take place due to the statement of the defence attorney of the accused, appointed by the centre for free legal aid, to postpone the meeting.
The next meeting in the case of the Russian Guard commander is scheduled for September 14. If by that time it is not possible to detain Anufriev and he leaves the occupied part of the Kherson region, the Kherson prosecutors will be able to request a special trial in absentia.
