The Russian authorities have arrested Colonel Artyom Gorodilov, a top military official, on charges of large-scale fraud amounting to at least a million rubles ($11,236). Colonel Gorodilov, who previously led troops responsible for a massacre in the Ukrainian city of Bucha in 2022, faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted. He has denied any wrongdoing.
Gorodilov currently commands the 83rd Guards Air Assault Brigade, operating in eastern Ukraine, and previously led the 234th Guards Air Assault Regiment based in Pskov, Russia. An investigation by The New York Times identified members of the 234th Regiment as responsible for the massacre in Bucha, where hundreds of civilians died in early 2022.
The US government had previously imposed sanctions on Colonel Gorodilov for his involvement in gross human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings. Despite denials from Moscow, evidence points to the participation of Russian troops, including those under Gorodilov’s command, in the Bucha killings.
President Vladimir V. Putin has dismissed the events in Bucha as a provocation, but The New York Times traced members of Gorodilov’s regiment to the scene using victims’ mobile phones. Gorodilov was promoted to colonel shortly after images from Bucha emerged publicly, turning the suburb into a global symbol of Russian forces’ brutality in occupied Ukrainian towns.
The colonel’s arrest and charges highlight the ongoing scrutiny of Russian military actions in Ukraine and raise questions about accountability for human rights violations committed during the conflict.
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