MOSCOW, December 8 — RAPSI. A military court in Donetsk sentenced three soldiers to up to 12 years in prison for torturing and killing Russell Bentley, a 63-year-old U.S. national who collaborated with Sputnik news agency, the press service of the Russian Investigative Committee told RAPSI.

According to the case file, on April 8, 2024, in Donetsk, servicemen Vitaly Vansyatsky, Vladislav Agaltsev, and Andrey Iordanov physically assaulted and tortured Bentley, inadvertently causing his death. That same day, Vansyatsky and Agaltsev concealed Bentley's body by blowing up the car, where they put it.

Besides, on April 9, acting on Vansyatsky's orders, Vladimir Bazhin, a serviceman from the same military unit, concealed this especially grave crime by moving Bentley's remains to another location, the Investigative Committee said.

Depending on their role, the defendants were found guilty under Part 5 of Article 286 of the Russian Criminal Code (abuse of office), Subparagraph "a" of Part 2 of Article 244 of the Russian Criminal Code (desecration of the bodies of the deceased and their burial sites), Part 4 of Article 33, and Part 2 of Article 316 of the Russian Criminal Code (incitement to conceal crimes). The defendants admitted their guilt in full and expressed remorse for their actions.