The bodies of a Ukrainian Evangelical church leader and his 19-year-old son have been discovered in a forest. They had been tortured and killed, four days after being abducted by Russian soldiers.
According to the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group and the Global Investigative Journalism Network, father and son were abducted by Russian soldiers at 7pm on November 22, while they were working in their garage, close to Kherson.
The reasons for their abduction are not known.
Tortured and shot
Four days later, the family were told that their bodies had been discovered in a nearby forest. Anatoliy Prokopchuk (52) and his son, Oleksandr had been tortured and shot.
Release International’s partner in Ukraine, ‘Pavel’ says Anatoliy was a deacon and preacher at a Pentecostal church in the city of Nova Kakhova, which is close to Kherson.
According to Pavel, when the Russian troops arrested them, the soldiers claimed: ‘Your church has no right to exist, as it has connections with America and other western countries.’
For four days, the family were denied news of what had happened to them. Then on November 26, the dead bodies of the men were found outside the town.
Says Release International partner Pavel: ‘Their bodies had signs of prolonged and excruciating torture. They were so mutilated that it was difficult to identify them.’
Blogger: just because some atrocities have been committed, this does not mean that this foul conduct is endemic amongst all Russian troops.
