Lt. Col. Azatbek Omurbekov, commander of the Russian Army’s 64th Motorized Infantry Brigade, has been declared, but without concrete evidence, by Ukrainian media to be directly responsible for the killings of civilians in the Ukrainian suburb of Bucha, Kyiv.
Lieutenant Colonel Azatbek Omurbekov is about 40 years old. In the rare photos that can be seen in public, he is wearing a uniform, a hat and two stars on the shoulder straps that mark his rank.
Also in one of the photos that are spread on social networks, Omurbekov is seen with a priest of the Russian Orthodox Church. According to Ukrainian media, the photo was taken in November 2021 in Khabarovsk, when the colonel received a blessing from the priest.
“History shows that we fight most battles with our souls. Weapons are not the most important thing. “The church is a place where we can partake of communion and prepare for the upcoming events,” the British newspaper told the Times, calling Omurbek “The Butcher’s Butcher.”
Official data on his service in the Russian army show that in 2014 he was awarded for outstanding services by Russian Deputy Defense Minister Dmitry Bulgakov.
In Ukraine, Omurbekov led the unit that took part in the capture of Bucha and controlled the city until the end of March, about 25 km from the center of Kyiv.
Omurbekov and his unit left Bucha after Russia announced that it had completed the first phase of the war and that the focus of the Russian army was shifting to the “complete liberation of Donbass”.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, Omurbekov and his 64th Motorized Infantry Brigade have left Ukraine and are now in Belarus.
Ukrainian intelligence says the military, and possibly himself, may return to the front lines and must soon move to Belgorod in western Russia before being sent to Kharkiv.
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