A Russian military officer spoke about the army's war crimes
He is ready to testify against Russia in court
Russian military officer Nikita Cibrin, who escaped from the front, said that the Russians participated in looting and violence against civilians during the occupation of Kiev region. This is reported by the Russian publication The Insider. Cibrin stated that he is ready to testify at the international court.
"I have nothing to hide. This is a criminal war started by Russia. I want to do everything possible to end it," Cibrin said.
Cibrin served in the 64th Motorized Brigade of the Russian Army, which was accused of crimes in Buca. He spoke of the horrors he had witnessed.
"I know for sure that there was a robbery. I saw how they stole cars in Lipivka and Andrijivka, I saw how they smashed cars that could not be started, destroyed houses. Allegedly, their roofs collapsed. They simply say, we have strength, we have tanks, we have BMPs, weapons and so on. The "Rambo syndrome" was involved. They took decorations from houses, mobile devices," Cibrin recalls.
Cibrin also confirmed the fact that Russian soldiers raped women in Andrijivka.
"They settled in houses. Many found alcohol in these houses and drank. A case of rape of a mother and daughter happened in Andrijivka. Four soldiers did it. One ran away, because fellow soldiers and officers beat him with chairs. They wanted to shoot him. They could not be charged because there was no evidence, so they were released."
The soldier said that the Russian soldiers at the front have terrible conditions.
"People have not been in a normal world for a long time. They did not have normal conditions. The Ukrainian army showed a video of a trench where they have everything humane: shelter, insulation from moisture, normal beds, electricity. In the Ukrainian army, the attitude towards soldiers is much better".
According to Cibrin, the command constantly exerted physical and psychological pressure on the soldiers, threatening them with cutting off their genitals for refusing to go to the front or with arrest.
"Everyone was afraid of the fact that their genitals would be cut off or something else would be done," says Cibrin.
He also said that during his stay at the prison he pretended to be crazy so that he would not be sent to the front lines. In June 2022, he fled Ukraine, hiding in a truck. The family refused to support him.
"For them, I'm a traitor to the country and that's all. What if I have to go to war and kill Ukrainian civilians? Or go to prison? There remains a third option - just leave," says Cibrin.
After fleeing Ukraine, Cibrin contacted human rights activists from the Gulag.net group to help him leave Russia. He succeeded in this and on November 15 he landed in Madrid, where he immediately requested asylum. According to Cibrin, his application is still being considered.
Cibrin joined the army in the summer of 2021 - according to him, due to financial problems. According to one military official, his brigade was tricked into entering Ukraine. According to Cibrin, he spent the first month of the war in the village of Lipivka, 50 kilometers from Kiev.