'There are maniacs who enjoy killing,' Russian defector says of his former unit accused of war crimes in Bucha - CNN

CNN  — 

Nikita Chibrin says helium inactive remembers his chap Russian soldiers moving distant aft allegedly raping 2 Ukrainian women during their deployment northwest of Kyiv successful March.

“I saw them run, past I learned they were rapists. They raped a parent and a daughter,” helium said. Their commanders, Chibrin said, shrugged erstwhile uncovering retired astir the rapes. The alleged rapists were beaten, helium says, but ne'er afloat punished for their crimes.

“They were ne'er jailed. Just fired. Just similar that: ‘Go!’ They were simply dismissed from the war. That’s it.”

Chibrin is simply a erstwhile worker from the Russian metropolis of Yakutsk who says helium served successful the 64th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, the notorious Russian subject portion accused of committing warfare crimes during their violative successful Bucha, Borodianka and different towns and villages northbound of Kyiv.

He deserted from the Russian subject successful September and fled to Europe via Belarus and Kazakhstan.

Troops from Chibrin’s brigade were labeled warfare criminals by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense successful April aft wide graves containing murdered civilians and dormant bodies lying successful the streets were discovered pursuing the withdrawal of Russian forces from the Kyiv region.

Chibrin’s subject documents, seen by CNN, amusement his commandant was Azatbek Omurbekov, the serviceman successful complaint of the 64th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade. Omurbekov, known arsenic the “Butcher of Bucha” is nether sanctions by the European Union and the United Kingdom. The United States person sanctioned the full brigade.

The Kremlin has denied immoderate engagement successful the wide killings, portion reiterating baseless claims that the images of civilian bodies were fake.

In a determination that sparked outrage crossed the world, Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded the portion an honorary subject title and praised it for its “heroism” and “bold actions.”

Chibrin said helium didn’t spot immoderate of the expected heroism, but galore of the crimes.

Speaking to CNN successful a European state wherever helium has requested asylum, helium elaborate immoderate of the crimes helium says helium witnessed and heard accounts of, and said he’d beryllium prepared to attest against his portion astatine an planetary transgression court. He maintains helium himself didn’t perpetrate immoderate crimes.

“I didn’t spot murders but I saw rapists moving away, being chased (by higher-ranking members of the unit) due to the fact that they committed rape,” helium said.

He besides said that the portion had a “direct bid to murder” anyone sharing accusation astir the unit’s positions, whether subject oregon civilians.

“If idiosyncratic had a telephone – we were allowed to sprout them,” helium said. He claims determination is small uncertainty immoderate of the men successful the 64th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade were susceptible of killing unarmed civilians.

“There are maniacs who bask sidesplitting a man. Such maniacs turned up there,” helium said.

Chibrin besides described wide looting, with Russian soldiers taking computers, jewelry and thing they liked.

“They didn’t fell this astatine all. A batch from my unit, erstwhile we near Lipovka and Andreevka successful the extremity of March, they took cars, vehicles, they took civilian cars and sold them successful Belarus,” helium said. “The mentality is, if you bargain something, you are good. If cipher catches you, good! If you spot thing that is costly and you bargain it and don’t get caught, you are good.”

As for the unit’s commanders, helium said they were good alert of the alleged rapes and murders and of the looting, but took small involvement successful seeking justice.

“They reacted like: ‘Whatever. It happened. So what?’ Actually, determination was nary reaction,” helium said. “Discipline goes [down the drain], there’s nary discipline.”

CNN has asked the Russian Ministry of Defense for remark connected the allegations, but has not received a response.

Chibrin has nary uncertainty that Russia volition yet suffer its warfare against Ukraine, but not until galore much lives are lost.

“Because Russia won’t halt until large humor is spilled, until everyone dies. Soldiers are cannon fodder to them. They don’t respect them,” helium said.

Having seen the warring archetypal hand, helium said the instrumentality Russian soldiers person is nary lucifer for the weapons to which Ukraine has access. He says that portion Ukraine is receiving immoderate of the astir precocious weaponry disposable from its Western allies, the Russian service is relying connected Soviet-era instrumentality utilized during the warfare successful Afghanistan successful the 1980s.

“Of people Russia volition lose. Because the full satellite is supporting Ukraine. To deliberation that they (the Russians) volition triumph is stupid,” helium said. “They thought they would inhabit Kyiv successful 3 days. What time is it present [of the war]? 260th? They thought they would travel to Ukraine and beryllium met with flowers. But they were told to f*** disconnected and thrown Molotov cocktails at.”

Men successful his portion were besides highly ill-prepared for combat, according to Chibrin. He said the grooming his portion received consisted of commanders giving them a weapon, a people and 5,000 bullets.

“Keep shooting and past you are escaped to go. No 1 was doing anything. There was nary existent training. I worked with a computer, astatine the office, worked arsenic a lawnmower…” helium said.

The deficiency of grooming became evident erstwhile successful Ukraine. The aforesaid men who were boasting astir being “like Rambo” earlier they were deployed came backmost broken, helium said. “Those who said they’d beryllium shooting Ukrainians easily, erstwhile they travel backmost from the beforehand lines … they could not adjacent talk to me. They saw the war, they saw defeat, saw their [fellow] combatants being murdered, saw corpses. They realized – but they couldn’t tally away.”

He said galore of the men were poorly trained and astir had nary thought wherever they were headed.

“It was a large lie. It was a military training with the Belarusian army. And they lied to us. On February 24 they conscionable said everyone volition spell to war,” Chibrin said, adding that helium initially refused to go.

“The archetypal happening I said was, ‘Commander, f*** you, I don’t privation to spell to the war’ and helium said, ‘Hey you, you volition person large problems, you volition spell to jailhouse and your household volition person large problems’ … and helium attacked maine and enactment maine successful a peculiar conveyance and closed the door. And I couldn’t unfastened [it] from inside. So, that’s however I went to Ukraine.”

Chibrin went connected to walk months successful Ukraine, connected and off. When the 64th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade withdrew astatine the extremity of March from the country northwest of Kyiv, pursuing the failed violative there, helium and his portion returned to Belarus.

He said helium was suffering from a backmost wounded and went to a subject infirmary successful Russia, but was forced to spell backmost to Ukraine successful May. This clip helium was sent to the Kharkiv portion successful eastbound Ukraine, and past spent clip successful the forests astir Izyum.

It was past that helium yet recovered a accidental to escape, helium said. He noticed that commanders of different units were leaving the country for Russia successful a motortruck and jumped in.

“I leap successful [the furniture of the truck] and I see, wow, different guys, besides leaving Ukraine. And they accidental we don’t privation to [fight the] war, we paid the commandant wealth (to drive). And I americium waiting and waiting and past we are adjacent to the Russia borderline and the car is stopped and the guys are jumping disconnected and I americium besides jumping off. And I spell to the Russia borderline and I accidental I request the aesculapian help,” helium said.

Once backmost successful Russia, Chibrin said helium spent astir a period successful hospital, astir of that being bedridden with unspeakable backmost pain. But helium said helium was incapable to get due treatment. “They said that if I wanted to spell to a peculiar sanatorium, I needed to motion a insubstantial that said I’d spell backmost to war,” helium said.

Refusing to sign, Chibrin said helium was getting acceptable to taxable paperwork to get his subject declaration canceled erstwhile the Russian authorities announced a partial mobilization successful September.

“And my friends told maine I needed to hide. ‘You request to find spot and hide, your declaration volition not beryllium canceled due to the fact that of the mobilization,” helium said. Knowing helium needed to get arsenic acold arsenic imaginable from the acold eastbound metropolis of Khabarovsk wherever helium was stationed, Chibrin archetypal fled crossed Russia to St. Petersburg and past took a bid to Belarus. Once determination helium was capable to find an intermediary who helped him get to Kazakhstan from wherever helium yet traveled to his existent location.

Now helium is determined to talk up astir the events helium witnessed successful Ukraine, adjacent penning an anti-war song. “Hundreds of souls, hundreds of bodies of mislaid people. Hundreds of mothers without children,” the chorus goes.