Journalists have identified the identities of Russian military personnel who were transported by the Russian occupation forces to hospitals in Belarus following unusual battles in Kyiv and the Kyiv region in spring 2022
An investigation conducted by Radio Liberty allowed for the identification of several hundred servicemen who were wounded during attempts to seize the Ukrainian capital and its suburbs, and who were taken to medical facilities in Belarus, specifically in Gomel and Khoiniki. Overall, this involves 898 military personnel from various units of the Russian armed forces—including special forces, paratroopers, and personnel from the Russian National Guard. It is noted that among the wounded are members of the so-called "elite" units of Russia's special operations forces, based near Moscow: in Kubintsi (military unit 28337) and Solnechnogorsk (military unit 92154). These units participated in combat operations in the Kyiv region, attempting to capture Kyiv, and, according to declassified documents, 16 wounded from these units were treated in Belarusian hospitals. A particularly notable case is that of Alexander Kvitka, known by his call sign "Skipper," who was the commander of the sixth company of the 234th Air Assault Regiment from Pskov. This unit, known as one of the most "prestigious" and simultaneously most ruthless in Russia, was actively involved in the attempt to break through and capture Bucha. According to leak information, Kvitka was hospitalized in Gomel on March 28, 2022, with shrapnel wounds to his neck, arm, shin, and buttocks. Witnesses claim he might have been involved in the brutal murder of local pensioner Alla Minaeva, who lived in an area occupied by his unit. According to investigators, on the first day after the liberation of Bucha, the woman's body was found with a gunshot wound to the head, indicating a violent death. Medical documents obtained by journalists confirm that other representatives of elite GRU units from Khabarovsk, Tambov, Novosibirsk, and Tolyatti were also transported to Belarusian hospitals. They participated in combat in the Kyiv region, including fighting in Chernihiv and Bucha. This identification has made it possible to pinpoint individuals, including the likely perpetrator of crimes against civilians—Alexander Kvitka. Journalists also discovered that other Russian military personnel from elite units, such as the commander of the well-known 234rd Air Assault Regiment from Pskov, who took part in the capture and destruction of Bucha and Hostomel, were sent to Gomel — RGeneral Roman Zyzyn. He is credited with injuries to his face and an open fracture of his lower jaw, which occurred on March 4, 2022, during fighting in Hostomel. He was close to returning to the front but subsequently left military service to continue his studies at a military institute of physical culture, and also appeared in a Russian military film. Additionally, other servicemen from the Russian National Guard units from Kemerovo Oblast (Kuzbass), specifically from the 5th Tank Brigade and the 37th Motor Rifle Brigade, were treated in Belarusian hospitals. These units participated in controlling key transportation routes, including the Kyiv-Chop highway, also known as the Zhytomyr route. They used force and carried out shelling of civilian vehicles attempting to leave the combat zone. Collected documents and testimonies reveal a number of identification details regarding the wounded soldiers. For instance, it was established that over 70 servicemen from Buryatia, belonging to the 5th Tank Brigade from Ulan-Ude and the 37th Motor Rifle Brigade from Kyakhta, were hospitalized in Belarus with wounds. Ukrainian investigators insist that these units are responsible for the brutal shootings of civilian vehicles and civilians on that highway in March 2022. Sources report that the hospitals in Gomel recorded the names of military personnel, including those, according to Ukrainian law enforcement, involved in crimes in Hostomel—Zorik Zigbin, Munko-Jargala Zharmayev, and Dmytro Terentiev—all of whom are part of respective Russian army units. Thus, these investigations not only shed light on the scale of Russian forces' involvement in hostilities in Ukraine but also confirm the participation of special units and their probable complicity in war crimes. According to sources, the joint involvement of several special forces operators from different regions, their injuries in Belarusian hospitals, and subsequent treatment provide grounds to speak of a large-scale and purpose-driven command activity by the occupation forces of Russia, as well as their targeted involvement in violations of international humanitarian law.