'Butcher Of Bucha': Ukrainian Activists Identify The 'Military Villian' Behind The Massacre

A Ukrainian volunteer group monitoring Russia’s military has claimed to have identified the commander behind the massacre at Bucha. According to InformNapalm, decorated Russian commander Lt. Col. Azatbek Omurbekov led the unit deployed in Bucha when hundreds of innocent civilians were murdered.

A tweet by the group read: "InformNapalm volunteers found the data of the commander of unit 51460, the 64th separate motorized rifle brigade, which according to preliminary data committed war crimes in #Буча, Kyiv region (sic)."

InformNapalm also shared Omurbekov's home address as well as his email and telephone number, said a report by New York Post.

Dubbed the "military villain," Omurbekov was blessed by an Orthodox priest in November, ahead of his deployment to Ukraine. After the service led by the Bishop of Khabarovsk, Omurbekov reportedly said: "History shows that we fight most of our battles with our souls. Weapons are not the most important thing. The church is a place where we can take communion and prepare for the coming events. With the blessing of the Almighty, we hope to achieve the same things that our forebears achieved."

The officer was also previously awarded a medal for outstanding service in 2014 by the then Russian defense minister.

This comes as Ukraine’s defense ministry released a list of suspected members of the Russian death squad while vowing "all war criminals will be prosecuted for crimes against the civilians of Ukraine."

The U.S. and its allies have also prepared new sanctions on Moscow over civilian killings, which President Volodymyr Zelensky described as "war crimes." Zelensky had taken to the UNSC to share the plight of civilians in an emotionally-charged address where he accused Russian troops of indiscriminately killing civilians "just for their pleasure."

While speaking about the families killed and women raped by Russians, Zelensky said Russia's actions were no different from those of a terror group, except that Russia is a permanent member of the UNSC. "Where is the security that the Security Council needs to guarantee? It is not there, though there is a Security Council," Zelensky added.

His speech came a day after he visited the Kyiv suburb of Bucha, where shocking images revealed hundreds of bodies were found on the streets.