Russian general who organised torture camp killed in Ukraine – media

Russian Major General Pavel Klimenko has reportedly been killed in Ukraine. Media sources claim that his subordinates tortured American Russell Bentley to death in the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic.

Source: Vazhnye Istorii (Important Stories), a Russian outlet focused on investigative journalism; Meduza, a Latvia-based Russian media outlet

Details: Klimenko's death has been confirmed by his sisters.

The general commanded the 5th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade named after Alexander Zakharchenko in the Donetsk People’s Republic. Reports indicate that soldiers from this brigade killed Russell Bentley, an American working for Russian propaganda, in April 2024.

Vazhnye Istorii reported that this marks the 13th reported death of a Russian general in the full-scale war against Ukraine, with only eight of these confirmed by Russian authorities.

Klimenko is a native of Stavropol, Russia, who served in annexed Crimea prior to the invasion of Ukraine. He was promoted to major general in May 2024.

In April, Klimenko’s fighters reportedly tortured Vladimir Frolov, an illegally conscripted music teacher with a third-degree disability. Frolov, who sought demobilisation due to his health, was instead taken to the torture basement of the 5th Brigade. His death certificate claimed he died during an assault, but relatives stated that his body was so severely disfigured by torture that he had to be buried in a closed coffin.

An investigation by Russian media showed that Klimenko ran a concentration camp-style torture facility for Russian soldiers at an abandoned Petrovska mine in Donetsk. There, soldiers are allegedly tortured to force them to hand over their salaries and compensation for injuries to their commanders, sometimes with commanders intentionally wounding them to claim these funds. Soldiers with severe injuries are also reportedly forced to return to assaults under torture.

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