The renewed 74th Brigade, led by Colonel Pavel Yershov, has recently been spotted concentrating in the Belgorod region.
This brigade has been well-known to Ukrainian investigators and prosecutors since the early spring of 2022. First the brigade crossed the border into Ukraine from Belarus. The 74th Brigade occupied settlements mainly to the west of Chernihiv, in particular, they were located in the northwestern and southwestern directions. They tried to bypass and block the city of Chernihiv from the south.
According to the data collected by the documentation team of the Human Rights Education House – Chernihiv, the russian soldiers of the 74th Separate Mechanized Brigade abused civilians in more than 20 settlements of the Chernihiv region. 7 soldiers have been reliably identified, and more than 50 people have been suspected. One of the proven episodes: in the village of Lukashivka, Major Koblik of the 74th Brigade illegally detained and interrogated 3 civilians and another Armed Forces serviceman. Not all of the civilians were adults, and they were taken to a torture chamber set up in a garage. During the interrogation, Major Koblik, who was following the orders of Lieutenant Colonel Yershov, shot his weapon twice. He hit the chest and stomach of a Ukrainian soldier who was a prisoner of the unit at the time and did not pose a threat to the Russian military. The man died on the spot. During the interrogation of 3 civilians, Koblik tortured them: he beat them, imitated execution, and shot over their heads. There are many similar episodes in other villages: Syberezh, Sloboda, Shestovytsia, Desnianka.
Also, Russians from the 74th Separate Mechanized Brigade in the Chernihiv region have been known for numerous cases of theft of private property of residents. The military sent more than 200 parcels, with a total weight of 6 tons, from Ukraine’s border area to Russia.
Partial punishment from the Armed Forces caught up with the brigade in late spring 2022. When trying to force the Seversky Donets, a battalion tactical group that was part of the 74th Brigade was destroyed. The group lost more than 80 pieces of equipment and 485 personnel.
And now this brigade of war criminals and marauders has returned to Ukraine after the restoration. However, they should have been brought before an international court long ago and held accountable for all the crimes committed.
