A judge in the Russian-controlled Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine sentenced four Russian soldiers to prison on Monday for the torture and murder of an American national who had fought alongside pro-Russian forces.
Russell Bentley, a self-proclaimed communist known as “Texas,” reportedly vanished in April 2024 after he went to assist victims of a Ukrainian strike in Donetsk, as stated by law enforcement.
Subsequent investigations led to accusations against three soldiers for torturing Bentley to death. It has been alleged that two of these soldiers detonated a vehicle containing his remains and ordered a fourth to dispose of the body the following day.
A judge from the Donetsk Garrison Military Court, which was appointed by Russian authorities, sentenced soldiers Vitaly Vansyatsky and Andrei Iordanov to 12 years in a high-security facility, Vladislav Agaltsev to 11 years, and Vladimir Bashin to 18 months in a general-regime correctional institution.
Vansyatsky, Iordanov, and Agaltsev also had their military ranks revoked.
All four soldiers admitted their guilt and expressed remorse, according to Russia’s Investigative Committee.
Bentley had been a member of the Vostok battalion based in Donetsk from 2014 to 2017 during the initial stages of the conflict in eastern Ukraine. He became a Russian citizen in 2021, one year prior to Russia’s large-scale invasion.
