Disturbing private messages allegedly sent by serving Russian commander Roman Demurchiev have surfaced, revealing graphic claims of torture and executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war.
The archive, published by Radio Free Europe, spans 2022–2024 and is described as some of the clearest new evidence of abuses reportedly sanctioned by commanders loyal to Vladimir Putin.
Chats between Demurchiev, 49, and his wife Alexandra, 41, allegedly show the officer sharing an image of severed, blackened human ears and boasting about turning them into a “garland.” In response, Alexandra reportedly compared the remains to “pig ears served with beer.”
Demurchiev currently serves as deputy commander of Russia’s 20th Combined Arms Army. Other messages reportedly show him offering a Ukrainian prisoner of war as a “gift” to a military intelligence officer known by the call sign “Grek,” telling him there had not been time to torture the captive.
A photograph shared in the exchange reportedly helped identify the POW as a 42-year-old volunteer from Zaporizhzhia, who spent more than a year in Russian captivity before being exchanged in 2025.
Further messages from December 2023 allegedly include drone footage with thermal imaging that appears to show three Ukrainian prisoners being beaten to death with shovels shortly after capture. Demurchiev reportedly identified the attackers as Russian convicts recruited into the army and informed a superior, who responded that the perpetrators should be considered for medals.
That same year, Putin promoted Demurchiev to the rank of Major General. Under international law, the torture, execution or mutilation of prisoners of war constitutes war crimes.
Demurchiev has not publicly commented on the allegations, and Russia’s Defence Ministry did not respond to requests for comment. Ukraine’s Interior Ministry said more than 2,500 Ukrainian POWs remained in Russian captivity as of September 2025. This month, the United Nations reported that at least 109 captured Ukrainian servicemen have been executed since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
The revelations come days before the war approaches its fourth anniversary. US-led peace talks have stalled amid disputes over territorial demands, though Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said discussions were “constructive,” adding that Kyiv hopes to finalise details of the next prisoner exchange in the coming days.
