Putin declares commander accused of torturing and killing civilians in Ukraine a ‘hero of Russia’

Russian leader Vladimir Putin has awarded a ‘hero of Russia’ star to Anton Struyev, a Russian lieutenant suspected of war crimes in Kyiv oblast, including ordering subordinates to kill a civilian and himself taking part in the brutal beating of others.  Struyev took part in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and commanded a squadron of Russia’s 15th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade while the latter were deployed near Brovary in Kyiv oblast.  This is not the first time that Putin has declared men suspected of war crimes ‘heroes’, nor the only crimes which Russian invaders from the 15th brigade, which is claimed to be ‘peacekeeping’, are accused of having committed while part of Kyiv oblast was under occupation.

On 9 May 2022, the Brovary District Prosecutor announced that a senior lieutenant in charge of a motor rifle squadron of the 15th ‘peacekeeping’ brigade was charged, in his absence, with war crimes (Article 438 § 1 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code) over brutal treatment of civilians.  At that stage, Struyev’s name had not been published.  Within two days, however, the Schemes investigative team had identified this “peacekeeping butcher” as Anton Struyev, and provided more details about the impugned crime against two civilians.   The two men, who were unarmed and not involved in the fighting, had been trying to walk the five kilometres between two villages, from Zavorychi to Mokrets, but were stopped by Russian military.  The latter imprisoned them in a basement and told them to “wait for the commander”. 

A Russian appeared the following day whom they understood, by his behaviour, to be the commander.  He ‘interrogated’ the two men, with this involving both denigrating treatment and violent beating.   “He demanded that the men given information about other pro-Ukrainian residents of the village, Ukrainian Armed Forces servicemen and Territorial Defence soldiers.”   When he didn’t receive the information demanded, he put on tactical gloves with plastic inserts and beat the two civilians around the face and head.  He also ordered the men to take off all their clothes and continued beating them, before forcing them into the basement.  The men were released later after he left.  The prosecutor notes that this individual is described on the Russian defence ministry’s website as a model of courage and heroism for other Russian servicemen taking part in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.  

The two civilians were among the lucky ones who did not simply disappear or end up imprisoned in Russia.  Both were released after ‘the commander’ had left, and have clearly since given testimony to investigators. 

The same is true of the victim of another crime which Struyev, now named, is accused of, although the victim was almost certainly not intended to survive to describe his experience. 

On 10 August 2022, Ukraine’s Security Service [SBU] reported that it had intercepted an order by a Russian military man to kill civilians and had found a civilian who had survived.  Struyev was named and his photo posted as a person suspected of war crimes under Article 438 though issuing orders to shoot civilians during the Russians’ occupation of the Brovary raion.  In the intercepted conversation, ‘Berkut’ uses vulgar language with the meaning quite clear, to eliminate all civilians.

The SBU specifically assert that in the morning of 22 March, Struyev ordered subordinates to shoot at a civilian who had appeared near them.  The Russians had done so and then left the man to die.  Although gravely wounded, the victim did, thankfully, survive.

Struyev was treated as a ‘hero’ then and was one of the eleven men whom Putin awarded ‘hero of Russia’ stars to on 23 February, Russia’s so-called ‘day of the defender of the fatherland’. 

Putin and the Russian defence ministry are also just as clearly satisfied with the 15th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade.  There is a defence ministry video promoting contract service in the 15th brigade, promising, among other things, the possibility such service gives “to see the world”.  Before ‘seeing the world’ by taking part in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and being deployed in Kyiv oblast, the brigade did so by taking part in Russia’s invasion of Crimea and military aggression in Donbas, as well as through so-called ‘peacekeeping’ tasks in North Ossetia, Abkhazia and Transnistria.  

The 15th brigade was given the honorary ‘Guards’ title (‘the 15th Separate Guards Alexandriyskaya Motor Rifle Brigade’) on 9 May 2022, the day that the first of two serious war crimes charges was announced against Struyev.  Putin’s presidential website claimed that the honour was for the brigade’s "mass courage and heroism in the defence of the fatherland and state interests in military conflicts”. 

Ukrainian investigators have not only accused Struyev of war crimes.  A number of members of the 15th brigade are also suspected of other crimes.  In March 2023, Reuters reported that two snipers from the brigade are believed to have sexually assaulted a four-year-old girl and gang raped her mother at gunpoint in front of her father.  The father was beaten with a metal pot then forced to kneel while his wife was gang raped. One of the soldiers told the four-year-old girl he "will make her a woman" before she was abused, according to the indictment based on the testimony of victims and witnesses.

Putin acted even more swiftly in ‘honouring’ members of another Russian brigade.  In April 2022, as more and more details emerged of the horrific torture, rapes and killings (as well as looting and other crimes) against civilians in Bucha, Putin issued a decree honouring the very 64th Motor Rifle Brigade believed to be behind many of the crimes. The presidential decree talked of “mass heroism and daring, tenacity and courage” 

On 21 February 2025, Putin also promoted Sergei Atroshchenko,  the Russian commander whom Ukrainian investigators believe issued the order to bomb the Drama Theatre in Mariupol on 16 March 2022.  The Drama Theatre was being used as a shelter by up to a thousand civilians, mostly women, children and the elderly.  In the hope that it would make a difference, the Russian word CHILDREN had been written in huge and entirely visible letters in front and behind the building.  The Russians dropped massive bombs on the building regardless, killing hundreds of civilians.

See also: Russian accused by Ukraine of torture and killings in Bucha given high-ranking post in Russia