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🇭🇷 Croatia /Conflict & Security

Bosnian National Fighting for Russia in Ukraine Suspected of War Crimes

From Večernji List · () Croatian

Translated from Croatian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Under investigation
  • A Bosnian national fighting for Russia in Ukraine, Davor Savičić, is officially suspected of war crimes against civilians.
  • Ukrainian authorities allege Savičić committed atrocities and violated international humanitarian law during the initial months of the 2022 invasion.
  • He is accused of mistreating civilians in the Kyiv region while commanding a unit and is now reportedly part of a private military formation.

Davor Savičić, a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, is now officially suspected of committing war crimes against civilians. The accusations, reported by the Bosnian portal Klix.ba citing Ukraine's Official Gazette, detail alleged atrocities and violations of international humanitarian law during the early stages of Russia's 2022 invasion.

According to Ukrainian authorities, Savičić commanded a unit known as "Vukovi" (Wolves) in the Kyiv region between February and March 2022, as part of the Russian "Vostok" military group. He is now reportedly a member of the private military formation "Redut." The Ukrainian investigation into Savičić has been ongoing since 2024, with new details emerging on May 26, 2026, through the "Book of Executioners of the Ukrainian People" project.

Investigators suspect Savičić of multiple crimes against civilians in the Kyiv Oblast. One case involves a man from the village of Fedorivka, allegedly captured, tied up, and held in a forest by Russian soldiers under Savičić's command. The man was reportedly forced to stand for hours with a hand grenade behind his back and was later detained for days with minimal food and water after refusing to cooperate with Russian media.

Another allegation concerns a woman from the village of Ivankiv, who was reportedly abducted and held captive in a forest for several days by Russian soldiers. During her interrogation, she was allegedly pressured for information about the Ukrainian army, and Ukrainian organizations claim she was physically assaulted and threatened. Ukrainian authorities estimate that around 200 volunteers from the Balkans are currently fighting for Russia, despite foreign battlefield participation being illegal in most regional countries. Media in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia have previously linked Savičić to the "Serbian Volunteer Guard" led by Željko Ražnatović Arkan during the Bosnian War, a group associated with war crimes.

The circumstances surrounding his death are unclear, with local media reporting suspicious conditions possibly related to poisoning.

· Klix.baThe Bosnian portal's initial report on the allegations against Davor Savičić.
About this summary

Originally published by Večernji List in Croatian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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