Russian Gen. Demurchiev detailed the torture and execution of Ukrainian POWs in his personal correspondence, Schemes and Systema report

The investigative projects Schemes and Systema published an investigation based on the archived personal correspondence of Russian military officer Roman Demurchiev. Messages the general sent to his colleagues and relatives in 2022–2024 contain detailed descriptions of torture and extrajudicial killings, as well as photos and videos documenting Russian soldiers’ perpetration of these war crimes.

According to information from the examined correspondence and from the journalists’ sources, as of late December 2024 Demurchiev held the position of deputy commander of Russia’s 20th Combined Arms Army. There is no publicly available information on his current place of service.

Journalists verified the authenticity of the correspondence, identified several of the people the general was messaging, and reconstructed the context of the events described. The resulting publication includes excerpts of messages in which Demurchiev describes the shooting of prisoners, discusses their “disposal,” and shares photos and videos showing the brutal treatment of captives.

In one episode, the general writes about former Russian convicts using entrenching shovels to kill Ukrainian soldiers after the latter had surrendered. Demurchiev reported the massacre to his immediate superior — Oleg Mityaev, the commander of the 20th Army. In his response, Mityaev praised the actions of his subordinates and suggested nominating them for an award:

“The convicts who took the position and hacked them with entrenching shovels — if they survive, God willing, they must be nominated for an award. Keep pressing forward, well done… Well done, crush, crush the f*cking bastards.”

In one of the messages, Demurchiev sent his wife a photo of severed human ears strung on a thread.

“And then what do you plan to do with them?” his wife asks.

“I’ll make a garland and give it as a gift.”

“Like pig ears to have with beer.”

“Uh-huh.”

The investigators were unable to determine whose severed ears were on the string, but the context of the correspondence indicates that Demurchiev obtained them in 2022.

A separate section of the investigation focuses on Demurchiev’s correspondence with a contact saved in his phone as “The Greek.” Based on the context of their communication and journalists’ findings, The Greek appears to be a military counterintelligence officer named Roman. In the messages, Demurchiev regularly refers to captured Ukrainian soldiers as “gifts” that he suggests sending to this contact.

In October 2023, Demurchiev wrote:

“I have a prisoner here… I can give him to you. He’s sitting right there, in the pit… What should I do with him — dispose of him or give him to you?”

“The Greek” agrees to take the prisoner. In response, Demurchiev clarifies:

“We simply didn’t have time to torture him, so all information we got was voluntarily given… But you have a sh*t ton of time, so you can use tools that make one tell the truth.”

Schemes managed to identify the Ukrainian prisoner as a volunteer from Zaporizhzhia, who was 40 years old at the time of his capture. The man spent one year and ten months in Russian captivity, some of it in a detention facility in Altai. In the summer of 2025, he was exchanged. Through his relatives, he told journalists that he was not ready to speak publicly about his experiences, but he confirmed that he had been beaten and subjected to electric torture.

The correspondence between Demurchiev and his interlocutors indicates that the case of the soldier from Zaporizhzhia was not an isolated incident. After sending a different soldier to the counterintelligence officer, Demurchiev writes: “There was another one. Didn’t make it. Little bastard.” In response, “The Greek” writes: “Good. I’m personally in favor of disposal. We can't beat them otherwise.”

In another episode, dated August 2023, “The Greek” suggests to the general that he hand over several detainees “who cannot be processed” and use them as “trench diggers,” then “leave them there. Forever.” He asks to involve “tight-lipped” people so that other counterintelligence officers do not learn about the plan. Demurchiev agrees. In the same correspondence, he asks whether he should reciprocate with black caviar “as a gift.”

The investigation also provides a detailed account of an episode in October 2022 involving the capture of Ukrainian soldiers in the occupied Donetsk Region. On Oct. 20, the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, reported that the Zapad-Akhmat Battalion had taken Ukrainian servicemen prisoner and specifically highlighted the involvement of his underage sons — Akhmat, Eli, and Adam — in the operation.

Journalists compared the videos published at the time with information from Demurchiev’s correspondence and concluded that they may depict the same prisoners. According to the message archive, it was units of the 42nd Division, commanded by Demurchiev, that captured the strongpoint and detained the soldiers on Oct. 18 — two days before Kadyrov’s announcement.

In his personal correspondence, Demurchiev expressed skepticism and sharply criticized the role of Chechen units. In response to a forwarded post from Kadyrov about the capture of prisoners and the involvement of the Chechen leader’s sons, he responded with an insult — “Roosters!!!” — that is a prison slang term referring to inmates of the lowest caste. In other messages published by the investigators, the general spoke critically of the Akhmat fighters, accusing them of self-promotion and exaggerating their achievements.

A year later, in November 2023, Demurchiev received the Akhmat Kadyrov Order from Kadyrov. In his messages, he described the award as “gold, with diamonds,” and after the ceremony, he advised a subordinate “not to offend the Chechens” and to provide them with vehicles, adding that this could help him earn the Hero of Chechnya title.

Demurchiev answered a call from a Schemes correspondent but ended the conversation after hearing a question about the treatment of prisoners of war. The Russian Ministry of Defense did not respond to the outlet’s request for comment on the publication.