Ukrainian drone pilots kill Russian major general known for torture of his own

Klimenko’s death was reported by the Russian milblogger Donbas – Heart of Russia! in Ukraine in a now-deleted Vkontakte post on 7 November 2024. The post was recorded by the Czech-based open-source investigative team Russian Officers Killed in Ukraine (KIU). The invader Klimenko was the commanding officer of the 5th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade, involved in Russia’s war against Ukraine since 2014, and known for its torturous and coercive practices against the invader’s own rank and file.

KIU managed to capture screenshots of the post prior to deletion and added Klimenko to their running tally of Russian officers killed in action. However, later in the evening of 7 November, the VK account posted an official obituary to memorialize Klimenko.

Further increasing the likelihood that Klimenko was indeed killed was a snapshot of Klimenko’s alleged casualty report shared by the Russian-dissident TG channel Dosye Shpiona, known for its breaking coverage of Russian military deaths and the results of major Ukrainian strikes.

According to this document, “at 19:30 on 06.11.2024, in the area of the checkpoint and the settlement of Krasnohorivka, while moving as a group on motorcycles… the group was subjected to enemy fire from the enemy using FPV drones (kamikaze). As a result of the fire, Major General P. Klimenko was wounded.”

The General suffered blunt head trauma, a fractured femur, and several broken skull bones. As a result, he died at 22:00, according to this report, compiled by the 5th Brigade’s Senior Lieutenant V.V. Makhovikov.

The general’s family members confirmed Klimenko’s demise to the Russian TG channel Astra.

A murderous reputation

Astra investigated the invader Klimenko and his brigade of criminal soldiers earlier in August 2024 due to reports of torture and financial extortion emerging from the Petrovska Mine in Donetsk out of which they operated a vast prison and torture syndicate. According to UAControlMap’s open-source database, the brigade has been in combat around Krasnohorivka since 20 January 2023 and was stationed in the infamous torture town of Makiivka as far back as 7 December 2022.

Astra identified at least three cases where the officers of the Oplot Brigade tortured their own soldiers.

One of Klimenko’s victims was the American-traitor-turned-Russian-propagandist, “Donbas Cowboy” Russel Bentley, who was tortured and shocked to death after being kidnapped by soldiers of the brigade. Astra’s sources even suggest Russian officers murdered Bentley in the mine, before staging an explosion in a car after the soldiers reportedly mistook Bentley for a spy. Bentley visited sites of shelling in Donetsk city and photographed the damage for Russian state media.

Astra’s sources also identified two Russian soldiers in Klimenko’s unit who were tortured before being forced back to the front. Both men sought medical discharge due to wounds or disabilities but were tortured till they agreed to go back to the frontline. Russian officers conducting the torture reportedly extorted cash from their victims in exchange for a return to the frontline.

In both cases, the wounded invaders pressed back into action were killed in combat because of Klimenko’s murderous conduct of command.

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