Summary
An American pro-Kremlin soldier, Russell Bentley, was allegedly tortured to death by four Russian soldiers in April 2024. Bentley, a 64-year-old veteran who fought alongside Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine, was reported missing after going to assist residents following an attack in Donetsk. The Russian Investigative Committee has arrested the four soldiers, accusing them of torture and concealment of Bentley’s body.
Russell Bentley, known as the “Donbas Cowboy,” had a controversial background, having previously served time in an American prison for marijuana smuggling. He moved to Ukraine in 2014 to support pro-Russian forces amid the ongoing conflict, later becoming a war correspondent for Russian media. The investigation into his death revealed that Bentley was allegedly tortured, including through electric shocks, before his body was disposed of in an explosion. His disappearance and subsequent death highlight the complexities and dangers faced by foreign volunteers in the ongoing conflict in Eastern Ukraine, as well as the internal strife within the ranks of Russian military forces.
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