A special forces captain convicted of killing civilians during the Second Chechen War died in Ukraine.

Russian special forces captain Eduarda Ulman, convicted in absentia of killing civilians during the Second Chechen War, died in Ukraine before the full-scale Russian invasion began.

As the ex-head of the public organization Union of Military Personnel “Defense” Sergei Simonchuk told Kholod, Ulman died in the Donbass. Simonchuk noted that he learned about Ulman’s death from his relatives back in 2020. Simonchuk did not talk about the circumstances and date of Ulman’s death.

The case against Ulman and his subordinates became one of the most resonant during the second Chechen campaign. In 2002, in Chechnya, where a counter-terrorism operation was taking place, a group of Russian special forces under the command of special forces captain Eduard Ulman shot six civilians.

The Russian military took part in the operation to capture the Chechen field commander Khottab. They set up an ambush on the road and tried to stop a car driving along it. As senior sergeant Eduard Popov, one of the Russian military who participated in the operation, said, after the car did not stop, Ulman ordered to open fire on it.

“Ulman ran out onto the road and with a wave of his hand ordered the moving UAZ to stop. The car not only didn’t stop, but tried to hit Ulman, after which he jumped to the side, fired a warning shot, the car continued moving, and only then gave the command to shoot,” Popov said.

There were six unarmed local residents in the car, one of whom was killed and two were injured. The military provided first aid to the victims and detained them. Ullman reported the incident to the command and requested the evacuation of the wounded. However, instead of evacuating, he received an order to kill the detainees from Major Alexei Perelevsky.

Ullman asked to repeat this order three times, the last time allowing all his subordinates to listen to it. After this, he ordered Lieutenant Alexander Kalagansky and Ensign Vladimir Voevodin to shoot the Chechens.

The bodies of the dead were placed in a car and set on fire. The same day the group returned to headquarters. Two days later, armed Chechen police officers arrived there and demanded that the military officers who had shot civilians be handed over to them. Two days later, Ulman, Kalagansky, Voevodin and Perelevsky were arrested. The latter was accused of abuse of power, the others - of murder.

In April 2004, a jury acquitted Ullman and his subordinates, finding that they could not have violated the order. However, the military panel of the Supreme Court overturned this decision due to irregularities in the formation of the jury. The case was sent for a new trial. In May 2005, the jury again acquitted the military. After this, protests by thousands began in Chechnya. Two months later, the military collegium of the Supreme Court overturned this decision.

In November 2005, the third examination of the case began. In February 2006, it was suspended due to a request from the President of the Chechen Republic Ali Alkhanov to the Constitutional Court. He challenged the legal provision according to which this case was tried by a military court without the participation of a jury from Chechnya. The Constitutional Court rejected Alkhanov's claim, and on June 6 the Presidium of the Supreme Court decided that Ulman's casewould be considered by a trio of judges. The case was sent for further consideration.

The fourth trial began in August 2006 in the North Caucasus Military District Court. In 2007, Ulman, Voevodin and Kalagansky, who were under recognizance not to leave the place, failed to appear in court twice. After this, they were put on the federal wanted list. Since then, their whereabouts have been unknown.

The court sentenced Perelevsky to 9 years in a maximum security colony. Ulman, Kalgansky and Voevodin were convicted in absentia and sentenced to 14, 11 and 12 years, respectively. The court found Ullman guilty of murder, abuse of power and intentional destruction of property.

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