The key facts

  • A Moscow court has in absentia arrested Ukrainian Armed Forces Lieutenant General Anatoly Bargilevich under Part 1 of Article 356 of the Russian Criminal Code
  • The appellate court left the ruling unchanged
  • The Investigative Committee had earlier claimed Bargilevich's involvement in punitive operations in Donbas from February 2014 to March 2025

In-absentia arrest of a Ukrainian Armed Forces general

A Moscow court has in absentia arrested Lieutenant General Anatoly Bargilevich of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on charges of using prohibited means and methods of warfare. This is evidenced by court materials reviewed by TASS; the decision was reported by Gazeta.Ru. “The motion to impose a measure of restraint on A. V. Bargilevich has been granted,” the documents state.

Context of the case

The decision was made as part of a criminal case opened under Part 1 of Article 356 of the Russian Criminal Code; the appellate court left the arrest order unchanged. According to the investigation, from February 2014 to March 2025 Bargilevich organized and planned punitive operations in Donbas — his involvement was previously reported by Russia's Investigative Committee. The substance of the charges is known from materials cited by the outlet; the defense's position and the Ukrainian side's reaction are not given in the publication.

A series of in-absentia rulings

Bargilevich's arrest fits into a series of in-absentia measures against Ukrainian military figures and politicians. In July, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Mykhailo Drapatyi, was placed on Russia's wanted list; the Investigative Committee charged him in absentia in 2023 — according to the agency, he was involved in more than 70 shellings of populated areas in the Lugansk and Donetsk People's Republics. Earlier, former adviser to the Office of the President of Ukraine Oleksiy Arestovych was sentenced in absentia to 11 years in a penal colony.