Vitaly Golovenkov forced Ukrainians to accompany a Russian military column under fire
Investigators from the National Police in the Sumy region notified Russian battalion commander Vitaly Golovenkov of suspicion on September 18, 2026. He is accused of using Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians as a human shield to protect military equipment. This was reported by Book of Torturers, according to the portal PromPolitInform.
Vitaly Vladimirovich Golovenkov, born in 1981 and a native of the Kaluga region of the rf, serves as a battalion commander of the 1st Motorized Rifle Regiment of the Russian Armed Forces. The investigation determined that in February 2022, the Russian officer ordered captured Ukrainian volunteers in the Sumy district to move in front of a military column heading toward the border.
Circumstances of the War Crime
At the end of February 2022, a group of volunteers was captured near the village of Nyzy. After being held in a forest belt for a day, Commander Golovenkov decided to use the prisoners to secure his forces from fire by Ukrainian defenders. To do this, he formed a column of approximately 300 occupiers and 45 pieces of equipment.
Using Civilians as Cover
During the movement in the direction of Verkhnia Syrovatka, Ukrainian forces, unaware of the presence of prisoners, opened fire on Russian equipment. Consequently, a civilian vehicle carrying prisoners was damaged, and a truck carrying ammunition was destroyed. Later, the occupiers forced two civilian women who arrived to facilitate an exchange to also “escort” the column.
The commander’s actions are classified under Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine as a violation of the laws and customs of war. According to the case materials, such actions contradict international humanitarian law and the Rome Statute, as they prohibit the use of protected persons to shield military objects from attacks.
Photo: Book of Torturers
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