The SBU has charged two Russians who, after escaping captivity, seized a car with its driver

The Security Service of Ukraine has notified charges against two Russian servicemen who escaped Ukrainian captivity and, while attempting to return to their units, forced a resident of the Kharkiv region to transport them by car.

As Vladyslav Abdula, spokesman for the SBU administration in Kharkiv region, reported, the suspects are 50-year-old Mykhailo Yehorov with the call sign “Magadan” and 24-year-old Denis Simakov, known as “Lisnyk.” They are accused of cruel treatment of the civilian population (part 1 of article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

According to the investigation, in July of 2026 they, together with two other Russian servicemen with the call signs “Puma” and “Ibrahim,” escaped captivity and tried to reach their units.

In the village of Pidvysoke in Izium district, the armed four forced their way onto the yard of a private house. The Russians forced the homeowner to get behind the wheel of his own car and drive them toward the line of combat, the Kharkiv regional prosecutor’s office said.

During the drive the man was kept under the aim of automatic rifles and pistols. The servicemen threatened to kill him and his family members if he reported their escape to law enforcement or Ukrainian military.

When fuel began to run out, the driver changed course and headed toward Slabunivka. There the Russians abandoned the vehicle.

Later Simakov was again taken into custody. Yehorov is suspected in absentia; his whereabouts are being determined. The two other servicemen who fled with them were killed.