Russia Charges Soldiers Over Torture, Murder of Texan Russell Bentley

Moscow has charged four Russian service members with the death of Russell Bentley, a Texan fighting against Ukraine in the Donetsk People's Republic who was killed on April 8, according to the Russian government newspaper Rg.Ru.

An investigation by the Russian Investigative Committee into the circumstances of his death found that Bentley, 64, was allegedly tortured and killed at the Petrovskaya mine by members of the Fifth Brigade, reported Astra Press, an independent Russian media outlet.

The Russian Investigative Committee has accused Vitaly Vansyatsky, Vladislav Agaltsev, Vladimir Bazhin and Andrei Iordanov, members of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, of torturing and killing Bentley as a group through negligence, an action reportedly beyond their authority, Rg.Ru reported.

Newsweek has contacted the Investigative Committee of Russia for comment via email.

The group has also been accused of concealing a serious crime by moving Bentley's body to another location, Rg.Ru reported.

The investigation alleged that Agaltsev and Iordanov tortured the Texan physically, which resulted in his death, the outlet said.

The investigation also alleged that Vansyatsky and Agaltsev blew up Bentley's remains in a VAZ 2115 car using a TNT block, and Bazhin, another service member from the military unit, reportedly moved his remains to another location.

A friend of Bentley's wife, Lyudmila Bentley, confirmed to Astra Press that the American soldier died as a result of electric current torture, saying his heart couldn't withstand the electric shocks.

Bentley's wife said they had arrived in Donetsk on "personal business" on April 8 and had lived in the executive committee of the Petrovsky district of Donetsk for several years, Rg.Ru reported.

According to the outlet, Bentley disappeared after reportedly going to aid the wounded following shelling by Ukrainian forces, and witnesses said he had been taken by people in camouflage.

Although the four service members have been charged, there is no information about a pending trial date, Rg.Ru said.

Bentley, a war correspondent and fighter for the Kremlin, wrote blogs and recorded vlogs of the war for his YouTube channel. He joined the Russian forces in 2014, as Newsweek previously reported.

"The Donbas Cowboy," as Bentley called himself, was an arborist in Austin, Texas, before joining the Russian troops. He later married a Russian woman and gained Russian citizenship.

Bentley told Newsweek in 2022, "If I told all the times that I came within seconds or inches of death, first of all, we'd be here all night, and second of all, you wouldn't even believe me."

He continued, "I can tell you that I'm the luckiest dude that I've ever known. I believe in guardian angels because of how lucky I've been here."

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