Journalists identify nearly 900 Russian soldiers treated in Belarus after failed Kyiv assault

The outlet managed to identify 898 Russian soldiers, including special forces, paratroopers, and National Guard troops, who attempted to capture the Ukrainian capital at the start of the full-scale invasion and may be involved in war crimes in the Kyiv region.

Journalists were able to identify these Russian soldiers using a list of wounded personnel from the database of the Main Military Medical Directorate of the Russian Ministry of Defense.

Elite units

Journalists found that Belarusian hospitals provided care to soldiers from Russian units whose involvement in the attempted capture of Kyiv in March 2022 had not yet been officially documented.

Specifically, this concerns the Special Operations Forces units, considered elite units in Russia and stationed near Moscow: in Kubinka (military unit 28337) and Solnechnogorsk (military unit 92154). According to the list of wounded, 16 soldiers from these Special Operations Forces units were admitted to hospitals in Gomel following the Kyiv offensive.

The data leak also reveals that after the battles for Kyiv and Chernihiv, fighters from other elite units were sent to Belarus for treatment — special forces of the Main Directorate of the Russian General Staff (also known as the GRU) from Khabarovsk, Tambov, Novosibirsk, and Tolyatti.

Murder of a pensioner in Bucha

The obtained documents also helped journalists identify a Russian soldier likely involved in the killing of civilians in the Kyiv region. It is Aleksandr Kvitko, known by the call sign Shkiper. Kvitko is the commander of the 6th Company of the 234th Air Assault Regiment from Pskov - a unit that took part in the occupation of Bucha.

According to the leaked patient data, Kvitko was brought to the Gomel hospital on March 28, 2022, with shrapnel wounds to his neck, arm, shin, and buttock. This is also confirmed by a handwritten list of wounded soldiers from the 6th Company of the 234th Pskov Regiment, obtained by journalists. The document was found by a local resident after the liberation of Bucha and handed over to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Kvitko's name appears first on the list.

According to eyewitness accounts, Kvitko may have been involved in the killing of local pensioner Alla Minaieva. She lived in the area of Bucha that was occupied by his company.

Paratroopers

As noted by the investigation, paratroopers - four divisions and several brigades - also took part in the assault on Kyiv. While their involvement in Russia's invasion of Ukraine was already known, the newly obtained documents provide the first concrete evidence that these airborne units were operating in Kyiv simultaneously, confirming their joint participation in the attempted seizure of the capital.

Among them was the 31st Separate Guards Air Assault Brigade from Ulyanovsk, which was involved in the attack on Hostomel airport. According to the data leak, 74 wounded soldiers from this unit were treated in Belarusian medical facilities. One of them was Roman Zyazin, a 21-year-old Russian serviceman at the time.

Journalists found Zyazin’s name on the patient list of Gomel hospital, where he was admitted on March 4, 2022, with facial injuries and an open fracture of the lower jaw. Although he did not return to the front after treatment, Zyazin continued his military career and is currently a cadet at a military institute of physical training. He also appeared in a film by the Russian Defense Ministry's Zvezda TV channel.

Russian National Guard

Patient records from medical facilities in Gomel also confirm that 68 servicemen from the Russian National Guard Directorate for the Kemerovo region - Kuzbass were treated there after being deployed to capture Kyiv.

These include two units: the SOBR rapid response team, originally formed to combat organized crime and terrorism, and the OMON special police unit, intended to maintain public order and prevent mass unrest. In Russia, these units are often used to suppress public protests.

Journalists verified the information about the injuries of these Russian security forces during battles in Hostomel by comparing the data to documents found at the scene after the Kyiv region was liberated.

Ukrainian law enforcement accuses members of the Kemerovo OMON, along with troops from the Krasnoyarsk mobile special-purpose unit, of killing civilians, specifically, of shooting peaceful residents in Hostomel on February 25. Five Russian National Guard members from these units have been notified that they are suspected of murdering five people.

Troops from Buryatia

Among the patients treated at the Gomel hospital, journalists also identified around 70 Russian soldiers from Buryatia, specifically from the 5th Tank Brigade (Ulan-Ude, military unit 46108) and the 37th Motorized Rifle Brigade (Kyakhta, military unit 69647).

According to Ukrainian law enforcement, these two units took control of a section of the Kyiv-Chop highway, also known as the Zhytomyr highway, in March 2022 and opened fire on civilian vehicles attempting to evacuate.

Radio Svoboda obtained a document found near the Zhytomyr highway after the liberation of the Kyiv region. It lists the names of wounded Russian servicemen, including Zorik Zigbin, Munko-Zhargal Zhalmayev, and Dmitry Terentyev.

Journalists found these three soldiers from the 5th Tank Brigade in Ulan-Ude on the patient lists of a hospital in Gomel, where they were treated for injuries sustained in the Kyiv region in March 2022.

Russian atrocities in Bucha

In February 2022, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the city of Bucha in the Kyiv region was occupied by Russian troops.

The city was under occupation for just over a month. On April 2, 2022, the Kyiv region was completely liberated from the Russian army.

During that month, Russian troops killed a large number of civilians. Some managed to survive only by a miracle. Law enforcement agencies have not yet been able to determine the exact number of victims in Bucha.