The killers of Russell Bentley (callsign "Texas") are being released from prison after serving only six months of their sentences
The murder of American Russell Bentley, who joined separatist forces in Donbas and called himself "Texas" after his home state, caused a major uproar.
On April 8, 2024, after a strike by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the Petrovsky district of Donetsk, Russian soldiers Andrey Iordanov, Vitaly Vasnyatsky, and Vladislav Agaltsev detained Bentley, who claimed to be a war correspondent. They stated that they suspected him of being a spy.
"Because he had an accent. An American spy!"
On the way to the command post, Iordanov, Vasnyatsky, and Agaltsev beat and tortured Bentley, trying to force a confession that he had been sent by the CIA.
According to the case files, they beat Bentley while putting a bag over his head, and then jumped on his chest and head.
He died from the injuries he sustained. After this, Vasnyatsky and Agaltsev loaded the body into a VAZ-2115 car and detonated an explosive charge, attempting to cover up the crime. The following day, Vladimir Bazhin was ordered to move the remains of the deceased to another location.
Vitaly Vasnyatsky, Vladislav Agaltsev, Andrey Iordanov, and Vladimir Bazhin were later charged in connection with the case.
In December 2025, the court delivered its verdict. Iordanov and Vasnyatsky were sentenced to 12 years in a strict regime penal colony, while Agaltsev received 11 years in a strict regime penal colony. Bazhin, who was charged with concealing a particularly serious crime, was sentenced to 1.5 years in a penal colony.
In general, the version that the soldiers mistook Bentley for a spy is questionable: he was a well-known figure in Donetsk.
Most likely, the killers were heavily intoxicated.
Despite the guilty verdict, which, as it turned out, had not even come into force after six months, those responsible for the brutal murder of Russell Bentley are still at large.
Furthermore, they intend to return to the "special military operation."
