Died the day after mobilization: the soldier’s wife accuses the TRC of beating

Died the day after mobilization: the soldier’s wife accuses the TRC of beating

A resident of Zaporizhzhya, 48-year-old Roman Pivtoratskyi, died in a military unit in the Dnipropetrovsk region the day after mobilization. His wife was informed of his death only six days later, and the official cause was stated as acute heart failure.

The family does not agree with the medical conclusion: according to relatives, bruises were noticed on Roman’s body, writes "Suspilne". Law enforcement authorities have opened a criminal case.

Death in the Training Center

On the morning of July 22, Roman Pivtoratskyi was detained by law enforcement officers near the entrance of an apartment building in Zaporizhzhya. The man did not have military registration documents and had not updated his data, so he was taken to the district recruitment center.

From there, Roman informed his wife that his phone would be taken away and he would be out of contact for a while.

"He never got in touch. I called the unit, and they told me: ’Our database hasn’t been updated yet, call back in three days.’ I didn’t wait those three days and called the next day. And this is how they kept putting me off for a whole week," said Roman’s wife, Yuliya Balabukh.

On July 23, the man was already in a military unit in the Dnipropetrovsk region, where he was supposed to undergo basic military training. That same day, he died, as evidenced by the death certificate No. 787 from the Dnipropetrovsk regional bureau of forensic examination.

Six days after the incident, on July 29, Yulia Balabukh received a written notification from the district recruitment center about Roman Pivtoratskyi’s death.

The document stated that the man died from acute heart failure.

"On the morning of July 29, I called the unit. They told me: ’He’s fine, either he or the commander will contact you, leave your details.’ And literally half an hour after this call to the unit, representatives from the recruitment center came and handed me a paper about my husband’s death," said Yuliya.

Bruises Noticed on Roman’s Body

The wife disagreed with the conclusion about Roman’s cause of death after examining her husband’s body.

"Perhaps heart failure was there, but any heart wouldn’t withstand such beatings. But he died... Because he was beaten. It’s unclear why they beat him to death. He was all bruised. A black eye, cheeks, forehead, ribs. I couldn’t look at his legs anymore, and the back of his head was smashed, all covered in blood," Yuliya Balabukh said.

The family’s lawyer, Yevheniy Melnychenko, says a criminal investigation has been opened regarding the man’s death.

The victim’s side has initiated a repeat forensic examination. The deceased’s family also demands explanations from the military unit for the delays in informing them about the death.

"When the relatives examined the body, they found bruises. On the face, torso, all over the body. These were not livor mortis marks, these were clearly bruises. The main grievance is why from July 23 to 29, they kept giving ’tomorrow’ promises, providing false information," the lawyer says.

According to him, interrogations have already been partially conducted:

"Absolutely everyone who is somehow involved will be questioned. The command says they ’received him whole.’ Because they make sure not to accept anyone injured. Because it’s their responsibility."

What They Say in the Military Unit

In the military unit where the man died, the fact of his death was confirmed. The notifications were delayed to the family due to "bureaucratic complexities," acting communications officer of the Unit Training Center Vadym Veyidi told journalists by phone.

"Currently, employees of the National Police of Ukraine are conducting checks and establishing all circumstances of the incident. I can only say that regarding this fact, no member of the unit’s training center staff has been suspected," he stated.

The Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine did not respond to a request for comment from journalists.