Rogue Russian Soldiers ‘In Search of Alcohol’ Reportedly Went on Murder Spree in Occupied Ukraine, Killing Locals and Russian Officials

A Ukrainian flag raised in rural Kherson Oblast. Control of the area has varied between Russian invaders and Ukrainian Army defenders since March 2022. (Photo: John Rudoff/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images)

A pair of Russian soldiers are reported to have gone on a murder spree in the occupied region of Kherson Oblast, Ukraine, after they were denied alcohol.

This week, reports emerged that Alexander Kaygorodtsev, 36, and Alexander Osipov, 34, spent the night of April 23 traveling between the villages of Abrikosovka and Podo-Kalinovka in a military pickup truck. According to reports on Telegram channel VChK-OGPU, the soldiers approached residents “in search of alcohol,” ultimately taking the lives of seven and burning down their houses when denied.

Among the deceased is Lyubov Tymchak, the Russian-appointed head of Abrikosovka, and her husband. Other victims included resident Sergei Shuvaev, aged 32, Valentina Starchenko, aged 65, and a Russian serviceman identified as Maxim.

The soldiers reportedly doused two victims’ bodies and detonated their houses with grenades in an attempt to cover up their crimes. Authorities later detained the two at “the point of unconsciousness” after they had obtained and drunk vodka.

Police say they found shell casings, bullets and grenade rings at the locations of the murders.

The pair — one of which had previously been convicted of murder, theft and large-scale drug trafficking prior to enlistment — served in the 144th Guards Motor Rifle Division of the Russian Guard Forces. After being apprehended, Osipov reportedly confessed to four of the seven murders. The case is currently being investigated by the 126th Military Investigation Department of the Russian Investigative Committee, though charges have yet to be filed.

Kherson Oblast was brought under military occupation on March 2, 2022, less than a week after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The region — which sits on the southern edge of recaptured Ukrainian territory — has ebbed between military forces over the past two years.

Since the onset of the Russo-Ukrainian War, reports have detailed widespread alcohol abuse on the front lines of the Russian military offensive. The issue has allegedly become so prevalent that offending troops are reassigned to Storm Z unit “suicide missions.”

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