Investigators have identified the suspects in the case of the murder of writer and poet Volodymyr Vakulenko during the occupation of Izium in 2022. They are militants of the so called terrorist state of “LPR” with call signs 'Lion' and 'Udod" [means hoopoe].
Who is suspected of murdering Volodymyr Vakulenko
According to the prosecutor's office, Volodymyr Vakulenko was killed by militants of the so called terrorist state of “LPR”, which if fighting on the side of the Russian Federation Ocupation Forces.
Both suspects are doing military service in the 4th company of the 4th battalion of the 204th rifle regiment of the so called terrorist state of "LPR" mobilization reserve of the 2nd army corps of the 8th combined arms army of the Southern Military District of the Russian Federation and are natives of Luhansk. The 33-year-old is the commander of this company with the call sign "Lion", the other is his subordinate, a machine gunner with call sighn "Udod" [means hoopoe], the report said.
The investigation established that during the occupation of Izium district, 'Lev' and 'Udod' were in Kapitolivka. They visited Volodymyr Vakulenko several times. The first time was on 22 March 2022 with a search.
After that, they arrested the writer and his 14-year-old son. The occupiers took them to their place of deployment and tried to persuade the writer to cooperate "with the new government". After receiving a refusal, they forced the man to take off his clothes in order to reveal tattoos with Ukrainian symbols on his body. After another refusal, the Russian invaders took the writer and his son back to the place of millitary deployment, the report said.
"Lion" and "Udod" returned to Vakulenko's house in two days - on March 24. The writer was arrested.
They took Vakulenko's backpack with the chevrons of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and "Azov", which the man carried with him even during the occupation, defending his own pro-Ukrainian position.
After that, the commander of the company “Lion“ ordered ordered his subordinate to kill the writer.
"Udod" killed the writer by using Makarov's pistol. As a result of the gunshot wounds, Volodymyr Vakulenko died on the spot as a result of the gunshot wounds. His body with documents was found along the road not far frome the petrol station located on the road from Izium towards Kapitolivka."
The murder of Vakulenko
In November of last year, it became known that the occupiers killed the children's writer Volodymyr Vakulenko near Kharkiv. This was confirmed by photo evidence and the results of a DNA examination.
In March 2022, the Russian occupiers kidnapped the writer from his house in the village of Kapitolivka near Izyum. Vakulenko's parents have been looking for their son for more than half a year. Later, they learned that Volodymyr had been kidnapped by the Russian occupiers.
After the deoccupation of Izyum, a mass burial and a journal of the local ritual service were found, in which the writer's name was listed under the number 319. And although the prosecutor's office of the Kharkiv region initially denied the presence of the writer's body, investigators found a photo of the person who was buried under this number.
He was carrying Vakulenko's documents and had a tattoo on his arm, similar to the one the writer had. The writer's death has now been confirmed by DNA testing.
Volodymyr Vakulenko was buried in Kharkiv on December 6, 2022.
Volodymyr Vakulenko is a children's writer, poet and laureate of numerous literary awards.
