Russian soldier who admitted committing war crimes in Ukraine faces criminal charges in Russia for ‘spreading fake news’

A court in Khabarovsk will consider the case of Daniil Frolkin, a Russian serviceman who is accused of “spreading fake news about the Russian army”: OVD-Info found his record on the court’s website.

The man’s credentials completely match those of Daniil Frolkin, a serviceman who spoke to a reporter for IStories* in August and confessed to his war crimes in Ukraine, including murder of a local.

“I confess to all crimes I had committed in Andriivka: shooting civilians, stealing from civilians, and seizing phones from civilians,” he told IStories* in August.

The media outlet tried contacting him again recently when charges against him were revealed. He left the messages on read and did not pick up the phone.

It was revealed in November that Vladislav Dyatlov, another Russian serviceman who had been fighting in Ukraine since April before he was killed in September, was recording everything that was happening around him with his phone. The footage was posted on YouTube after he lost his life. In his videos Dyatlov showed him and his comrades-in-arms squatting abandoned houses in the occupied Kherson region, drinking looted alcohol and stealing the locals’ money.

IStories* also found out that Dyatlov was awarded with the Service in the Caucasus order and was posthumously recommended to be awarded with the Order of Courage.

*The Russian government considers IStories an “undesirable organisation”. Reposting this news article in Russia may lead to a fine. A repeat offence may result in criminal charges.