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Official statement from the Russian Investigative Committee on the completion of the investigation into the murder of correspondent Russell Bentley (call sign “Texas“). We are awaiting the trial and the verdict. ⚡️ Russia’s Investigative Committee identifies suspects in murder of Sputnik’s Russell Bentley The Russian Investigative Committee has wrapped up the preliminary investigation into the murder of Russell Bentley, 64, a US-born Donbass volunteer and Sputnik correspondent. Suspects involved in the criminal case were identified as Russian Armed Forces servicemen Vitaly Vansyatsky, Vladislav Agaltsev, Vladimir Bazhin, and Andrey Iordanov. The individuals have been accused of felonies under Russia’s Criminal Code, including the use of physical violence and torture, which resulted in the death of the victim through negligence, as well as the concealment of an especially grievous crime. On April 8, Russian military servicemen Vansyatsky, Agaltsev, and Iordanov used physical violence and torture against Russell Bentley in Donetsk, which led to the correspondent’s death. On the same day, Vansyatsky and Agaltsev blew up a VAZ 2115 car with Bentley’s body with TNT explosives. On April 9, Bazhin, a serviceman from the same military unit removed Bentley’s remains from the scene on the instructions of Vansyatsky in a bid to conceal the heinous crime. The accused have been provided with the materials of criminal case. Subsequently, the case will be transferred for the indictment approval and court hearings. Bentley went to Donbass in 2014 and joined the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) militia using the call sign Texas. He said that he admired the courage of the Donbass defenders and called Donetsk his home. The US-born volunteer was granted Russian citizenship and began collaborating with Sputnik as a correspondent. He was known as an outspoken supporter of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine. In mid-April, Bentley went missing in Donetsk. On April 19, Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of Rossiya Segodnya, Sputnik’s parent media group, announced that the 64-year-old had died. An investigation into the circumstances of Bentley’s death was launched by the Russian Investigative Committee.⚡️
