The Investigative Committee has identified all those involved in the murder of Sputnik war correspondent Russell Bentley, call sign Texas

The Investigative Committee of Russia has completed its investigation into the criminal case on the murder in Donetsk of Sputnik correspondent Russell Bentley, call sign Texas. This was stated by the head of the Investigative Committee's media relations department, Svetlana Petrenko.

The investigation into the murder of former militiaman Russell Bentley has been completed, identifying all those involved in the crime. According to the Investigative Committee, the case involves four Russian servicemen who tortured Bentley in April of this year and then killed him. The militiaman's car was subsequently blown up and the remains of his body were hidden.

The Russian Investigative Committee has identified all persons involved in the death of Russell Bentley and the circumstances of the crimes committed.

As the investigation established, on April 8, three Russian servicemen: Vitaly Vansyatsky, Vladislav Agaltsev and Andrey Iordanov detained Russell Bentley, then tortured him to death. Trying to hide the traces of the crime, two of them blew up a VAZ-2115 car with Texas's body using a TNT block. Later, another serviceman, Vladimir Bazhin, hid the remains of Bentley's body so that it would not be found.

All four have been detained and are charged under several articles of the Criminal Code. At the moment, the investigative actions have been completed, the criminal case is being sent to the prosecutor's office for approval of the charges and then to the court.

Russell Bentley arrived in Donbass in 2014 and fought against Ukrainian nationalists as part of the Vostok battalion. In 2021, he received Russian citizenship and has worked as a correspondent for the Sputnik agency since 2023.

Comments

[svp67]

As the investigation established, on April 8, three Russian servicemen: Vitaly Vansyatsky, Vladislav Agaltsev and Andrey Iordanov detained Russell Bentley, then tortured him to death. Trying to hide the traces of the crime, two of them blew up a VAZ-2115 car with Texas's body using a TNT block. Later, another serviceman, Vladimir Bazhin, hid the remains of Bentley's body so that it would not be found.

Well, it's sad... It's sad that for some people "money" has replaced everything, both intelligence and conscience...

[Knizhnik]

They write that they confused him with a spy, a spotter, there was shelling at the time, people were angry, and so...

[Victor19]

Trying to hide the traces of the crime, two of them blew up the VAZ-2115 car containing Texas' body using a TNT block.
Why did they blow it up?

[Knizhnik]

There was a shelling, they tried to pass him off as a victim

[vargo]

No, why blow it up if they got it wrong? It looks like they clearly understood that they committed a crime and tried to hide it. They understood everything.

[Knizhnik]

No, why blow it up if you mixed it up?

This is the main argument of the prosecution.

[Sumotori_380]

And they hid the body so as not to bother the funeral services in vain?

[Edik]

They most likely got a military correspondent without documents. During the conversation, the boys, the more they talked, the more they realized that they had hit the nail on the head. And that was after.

Quote: vargo

It looks like there is a clear understanding that they committed a crime and tried to hide it.

[Nastia makarova]

now they will have a barbell in one place for 20 years

[Edik]

Quote: Nastia Makarova

now they will have a barbell in one place for 20 years

And the resource is full of militants (couch potatoes) who shouted that live mercenaries (geese) should not be taken prisoner! His face is not Russian, he babbles with an accent, he looks very much like a mercenary...

[bayard]

Everyone in Donetsk knew Texas, he was our landmark, our mascot and a very positive guy.
Who are these amateurs? From which departments? The case is murky and smells like a pyramid.

[Edik]

Eh, I feel really sorry for Sparrow!

[Alexander Salenko]

Uh-huh, he's about my age, maybe a little older, how many pull-ups could he do? Our scumbags are in the wrong place, no need to whitewash them.

[Sumotori_380]

His wife insists that he had both his passport and his driver's license with him.

[Alexander Salenko]

So could this be banal looting?

[Alexander Salenko]

The minuses are not mine, but think for yourself, what should the soldiers do in such a situation? They are scumbags, and the disciplinary battalion is the place for them.

[Petr_Koldunov]

Quote: vargo

No, why blow it up if they got it wrong? It looks like they clearly understood that they committed a crime and tried to hide it.

Exactly, that they mixed it up and tried to hide it. There is no contradiction here. Watch the film "Murder on Zhdanovskaya". Not the real story-prototype, but the film itself. There the answer to your question is very clearly staged. They detained by mistake, and when they realized that they screwed up, they were afraid of responsibility and began to cover their tracks.

[svp67]

Quote: Knizhnik

They write that they confused him with a spy, a spotter, there was shelling at the time, people were angry, and so...

And they didn’t hand it over to counterintelligence...it’s hard to believe.

[Zhan]

Quote: Knizhnik

They write that they confused him with a spy, a spotter, there was shelling at the time, people were angry, and so...

This does not justify these soldiers. They were obliged to deliver him to the headquarters to establish his identity. And there is a special department and military prosecutor's office to figure out who he is. No cruelty is an excuse here.

[Knizhnik]

It doesn't justify it at all, everything will be quick

[Free Island]

Well now let them confuse each other on the bunks with Masha, changing roles.

[Knizhnik]

They, the fools, will answer, but you are angry.

[Alexander Salenko]

Why? A man was killed for a pinch of snuff.

[Sumotori_380]

I wonder who Berega was confused with?

[Calm_type]

With a simple sucker. When they realized that he could actually call Prigozhin.

[Майло]

So anyone passing by could share his fate?

[Ratmir_Ryazan]

These degenerates should be punished to the fullest extent of the law for the maximum terms, so that they rot in prison.

This case should be a demonstration; having a weapon in one’s hands and being a member of the SVO does not exempt one from responsibility for the crimes committed.

On the contrary, all this should be aggravating circumstances. Because these bastards not only disgraced themselves, but also the entire Russian army.

[Knizhnik]

The worst thing is that the American was "one of our own", people like him are worth their weight in gold.

[Chersky]

It would be good to outline the reason why they did this.

[Free Island]

Mental disorders, mental retardation, moral deficiency, neglected upbringing

[Petr_Koldunov]

Quote: Chersky

It would be good to outline the reason why they did this.

Until there is evidence from their interrogations that will shed light (maybe :)) - there can be a sea of ​​working hypotheses:
- They confused him with a Bandera mercenary (it's sometimes very difficult to figure out on LBS). Then they got scared of their own mistake and tried to cover their tracks.
- A drunken quarrel
- Situational quarrel (stepped on someone's foot, went into the kitchen without waiting in line, showed rudeness or arrogance in some way, etc.)
- Personal unfounded hostility (the relationship didn’t work out... and in war, in this case, it’s not far from tragedy).
- Rejection of Americans in their ranks in principle (for example, psychological transfer of hatred towards the USA to a representative of this country, regardless of his human qualities).
- They simply saw a decent amount of dollars in his wallet (not the latest hypothesis, by the way. Greed and avarice are ineradicable - and looting has flourished in war, at all times...)

[cpls22]

Quote: Peter_Koldunov

Until there is evidence from their interrogations that will shed light (maybe :)) - there can be a sea of ​​working hypotheses:

I'll add another drop to this sea - this idealist could have learned something imperfect in the local situation. I don't think he was naive, but he could have underestimated the fear of exposing these imperfect conditions. And these four could have simply received the order to "crack" him at any cost. Sincerely believing that the commander knows everything, but cannot prove guilt.

[Petr_Koldunov]

Let's see what comes out in court. In the case of your version as a working one - it is unlikely that during the preliminary investigation the names of the commanders who gave the order for the purge did not come out. And further covering up of traces... what is it for?... however, over the years of service in my native Krasnoznamenny - I have become accustomed to the fact that even things that do not happen happen, and in the interests of the investigation this nuance could have been hidden until the trial :)) In general, let's look at the court materials.

Well, as a version - why not? No worse than the others :) Trust my experience - at the stage of inquiry and preliminary investigation, completely wild versions can sound... right up to the point that he was a deep-deep mole! And by shooting at his own, he sacrificed units, but brought entire units under fire from the Ukrainian Armed Forces...

P.S. - for those who like to downvote: I do not adhere to this version in any way and do not believe in it! Just, as a person who is not a newbie in this matter, I draw attention to the fact that in the absence of factual information - the initial versions can be completely unrealistic :))

[Semyon Semyonov_2]

Usually everything happens in blue sadness. Booze is evil. They start drinking to calm their souls and reach degradation when it becomes a necessity. I don't see another option, the spy thing is such a load of crap for the average person, they knew who was in front of them.

[cpls22]

It is interesting that the investigation was only completed after they took on "Evil" Puzik.

[Andrey VOV]

I don’t see the connection, murder cases always take a long time to investigate, even the most obvious domestic ones, but here there were a ton of expert examinations, and that takes time.

[cpls22]

I don’t insist, but I can’t help but note this coincidence.

[Piramidon]

Quote from cpls22

I don’t insist, but I can’t help but note this coincidence.

You can "drag in" anything. In our Vologda, a pensioner died when an earthquake happened in China. Is that also a coincidence?

[cpls22]

At the very least, these events are connected territorially and professionally - they are all Russian military personnel. Go ahead, keep going...that's an argument after all.

[Free Island]

Unwashed nerds. I hope the court will give them life sentences, although ideally these kovs should have been burned alive without being taken out of the SVO zone.

[Petr_Koldunov]

Quote: Free Island

Unwashed nerds. I hope the court will give them life sentences, although ideally these kovs should have been burned alive without being taken out of the SVO zone.

It would be better to go to a penal battalion: let them atone for their sins with their flesh and blood and bring benefit to the Motherland!

[ASSAD1]

Under the new law, they will go to the front lines again.

[Igor1915]

On the other hand, bringing this information into the public domain would give the Ukrainian media a reason to publish information.

[ASSAD1]

And I'm glad that they gave full information, I thought they would leak it quietly.

[Free Island]

There is a whole documentary film that tells the story of the murdered Texas. An American, he came to Donbass in 2014 to film about "Russia's attack on Ukraine", but after looking around he realized that Western media was pouring stupid nonsense into the ears of their inhabitants, he saw the atrocities of the Nazis, etc. and joined the Donbass militia. Initially, he fought as part of the "Essence of Time" detachment, then he moved to "Vostok". He sent reports home with the truth about the events in Donbass to show his American fellow citizens all the lies of Western politicians and the press. This man did a thousand times more for Russia and for Donbass than these three unwashed ghouls who killed him. Death to bloodsuckers. They should die in prison from having their asses torn apart.

[Zhan]

Yes, I saw his reports. I am very sorry about his death. May he rest in peace.

[bear cub]

Complete degenerates, shame and disgrace to the uniform.

[cpls22]

I'd also like to know who the commander is.

[Hiller]

This is a military crime. And with an attempt to conceal it. The punishment should be maximum, taking into account the public danger. The maximum in a combat zone is execution. An inhuman abomination, and accordingly, the punishment is the same. May you be rewarded according to your deeds.

[Petr_Koldunov]

Quote: hiller

This is a military crime.

Alas... but not a fact. The list of military crimes is very limited by the subjective side. If it is connected with hazing, with exceeding official powers, with the use of official position, with the purpose of taking possession of weapons, with the purpose of desertion, etc. - that is, when the subjective side necessarily includes a military component - then yes, it is a military crime. That is, Articles 332-352 of the Criminal Code.
And if the murder did not occur as a result of the servicemen performing their official duties, and the subjective side was personal hostility, greed, quarrel and any other motive not related to the performance of military duties - then such a crime, even committed in the army, is not a military crime and does not fall under Chapter 33 (Crimes against military service). And it is classified under the usual "civil" Article 105 - murder.

Or maybe it's for the best. They would have gotten five years in a disciplinary battalion - and that's it... but under the "civilian" 105th - who knows, they'll go to fifteen!

[iljael]

Eternal memory to you Boris (Russell), we will not forget, you were a real man and a Christian.

[apophis]

I'll definitely tell you about Russell Bentley in my 11th grade history lessons.

[K_4]

And are these not by any chance the "citizens" who immediately jump from the zone to the SVO, then back to the zone, and then to a new contract. Elite-elite, damn it.

[APASUS]

What kind of crap. So they caught a spy, and then what? They started an operational game themselves and got 20 years for espionage?
What kind of scumbags are you?

[Igor Belobrov]

Some brat, having received a weapon in his hands, imagines himself to be, at the very least, a demigod. Life sentence for these creatures. They took him for a gunner, you see. For such excuses, their faces should be smashed.

[AC130 Gunship]

The Duma recently passed a new law. According to it, these four will sign up for the front again and their convictions will be expunged. This model is already in effect today.

[Earl]

While law enforcement officers are running off their feet catching schoolchildren who are discrediting the army, four thugs commit a murder that discredits the army more than all the pacifist likes and reposts put together. It's good that the investigation is underway and I hope that the devils get what they deserve.

[Larich]

For some reason I am very sure that these scumbags acted on the orders of the 404 services. And everything else is just a cover. Texas is a very well-known person in Donetsk to be confused with him.
Selling creatures

[75 Sergey]

Well, execute them to hell!
What did they want from him?

[Prometey]

They tortured him, then killed him. His own. Regardless of the combat merits of all the jerks, they put them up against the wall.