Russian Soldier Froze to Death After Rogue Commander Tied Him to Tree—Report
February 4, 2025
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A Russian soldier fighting in Ukraine died of hypothermia after being tied to a tree in the freezing cold as punishment, a report said.
Newsweek has contacted Russia’s Foreign Ministry for comment by email.
Why It Matters
The incident is one of a number of reported cases of mistreatment within the ranks of the Russian Armed Forces amid its ongoing war in Ukraine.
What To Know
Corporal Viktor Utyaev—a 37-year-old grenade launcher with the call sign Hooligan—was wearing a light shirt and pants when he was forced to stand for nine hours in a pine forest in Kherson, Ukraine, on December 27, 2022, Mediazona, a Russian independent media outlet, reported on January 31. The outlet said the victim’s name and call sign were changed at the request of a source who provided case materials.
Utyaev was serving within a unit of some 60 troops formed by former mercenary Sergeant Dmitry Maiborodin—call sign Mai—when he died.
Before joining Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, Maiborodin, 41, had served in Syria and Libya as part of the now dissolved Wagner Group, which was headed by the late Yevgeny Prigozhin, a warlord who led a failed mutiny against the Russian government in 2023 and died in a plane crash weeks later.
Maiborodin’s acquaintances said he dreamed of founding his own mercenary group, and in Ukraine, he appropriated command of two platoons and managed them as his personal army until Utyaev died under his watch, Mediazona reported.
The soldiers who served under Maiborodin feared him, as he introduced a system of penalties and fines for those who stepped out of line. Fellow troops described him as a “powerful, authoritarian, tough and even cruel” special forces professional with combat experience, the outlet said.
An illustrative photo of Igor, a Ukrainian military member of the 114 Brigade removing a red tape allegedly put there by Russian troops, by the Oskil River during a scouting mission near the front line… An illustrative photo of Igor, a Ukrainian military member of the 114 Brigade removing a red tape allegedly put there by Russian troops, by the Oskil River during a scouting mission near the front line in Kupiansk, Kharkiv region, on December 15, 2024.
ROMAN PILIPEY/AFP/Getty Images
The commander is accused of ordering Utyaev to be tied to a tree as part of disciplinary measures for misconduct after he got drunk and threw a grenade onto open flames on December 27, 2022. No one was injured in that incident.
As punishment, Utyaev stood for nine hours with his face pressed against a tree. Mediazona reported that at times, he begged to be allowed to go to the toilet, but fellow soldiers didn’t come to his aid, fearing repercussions from Maiborodin.
Utyaev was released in the early morning of December 28, but he died a few hours later, investigators said.
Maiborodin, who was detained in March 2023, has denied three charges brought against him by military investigators. In 2025, “nothing has changed” in his position, his lawyer Stanislav Fidelsky told Mediazona.
Throughout the war in Ukraine, there have been numerous reported incidents of violence and mistreatment between Russian troops and their commanders.
Earlier this month, a video circulating on Telegram appeared to show Russian troops being Tasered after refusing to fight in Ukraine. Newsweek couldn’t independently verify the footage.
In December 2023, a deputy commander of the Russian Armed Forces shot dead his commander in Kherson after he was mocked for having a “Ukrainian” name, reported VChK-OGPU, an outlet that purports to have inside information from Russian security forces.
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