Four Russian soldiers have been charged with war crimes against an American who was living in Ukraine during the Russian invasion, according to court documents unsealed in federal court in Virginia.
The case against Russian soldiers marks the first time the US government has used a decades-old law aimed to prosecute those who commit war crimes against American citizens.
According to the indictment, the Russian soldiers violently abducted the American from his home in the Ukrainian village of Mylove. The soldiers allegedly beat and tortured the American in a Russian military compound, where he was held for 10 days in April 2022.
After abducting him, the Russian soldiers allegedly stripped the American naked, tied his hands behind his back and beat him with their fists, feet and the stocks of their guns.
While he was being illegally held by the Russian soldiers, the American was allegedly tortured by the four defendants and other unnamed co-defendants during at least two interrogation sessions. They stripped him naked, severely beat him and photographed him, according to the indictment.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
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