American pro‑Russian blogger tortured and killed in Donetsk

Pro-Russian blogger Russell Bentley was brutally raped and murdered in Donetsk in April of this year. According to "Belsat," the four Russian soldiers responsible for the crime will soon stand trial to answer for their actions.

American blogger with pro-Russian views, Russell Bentley, also known by the pseudonym "Texas," was brutally raped and murdered in April of this year in Donetsk. Bentley, who publicly supported the Russian invasion of Ukraine, was an active war blogger, regularly posting content supporting the actions of Russian armed forces.

According to the "Belsat" portal, on April 8, Bentley was recording the passage of Russian military equipment through Donetsk when soldiers of the 5th Armored Brigade stopped him. According to information from a person close to the leader of the unrecognized Donetsk People's Republic, the soldiers accused him of collaborating with the Ukrainian rocket artillery, allegedly pointing out targets for them in Donetsk.

As a result, Bentley was reportedly subjected to torture, brutally sexually abused, and then murdered by Russian soldiers.

According to information provided by "Belsat," the Russian Investigative Committee established the identities of all four individuals involved in the murder of Russell Bentley and the details of the crimes they committed.

"Depending on the role of each, they are accused of committing acts by a group of persons that clearly go beyond their powers, the use of physical violence and torture, which negligently caused the death of the victim, as well as concealing a particularly serious crime by moving the remains of the deceased to another place (Part 5 of Article 286 of the Criminal Code, paragraph "a" of the 2 of Article 244 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, part 4 of Article 33 and Part 2 of Article 316 of the Criminal Code)," the statement said.

The soldiers were charged with gross abuse of power, use of physical violence and torture, which led to the victim's death. Additionally, they were accused of attempting to hide the body. According to the "Belsat" portal, the Investigative Committee revealed that the perpetrators attempted to cover up the crime by blowing up a Lada Samara car in which they had earlier placed the American's body. Subsequently, one of the soldiers, Bazhin, took further steps to hide the remains.

Pro-Russian American Russell Bentley Bonner, born in Texas in 1960, initially worked in the USA as a lumberjack. However, in 2014, influenced by media reports of alleged crimes committed by Ukrainians, he decided to leave the United States and move to Donetsk.

According to "Belsat," he was baptized in the Orthodox Church, married a Russian woman, and joined the pro-Russian separatists. He declared that he wanted to fight against Ukraine.

During the Donbas conflict, he served for several months as a grenade launcher operator in the so-called Armed Forces of Novorossiya. After this period, he became involved in propaganda activities, and his last publications appeared on the pro-Russian portal Sputnik.