A military police officer known for using brutal methods to capture and return deserters escaping the conflict with Ukraine orchestrated by Putin has been fatally shot in what appears to be a retaliatory act.
Konstantin Ektov, aged 34, reportedly resorted to tactics such as electric shocks and physical abuse against fleeing soldiers and their families, shedding light on the harsh realities of the Russian military’s actions in the war led by Vladimir Putin against Ukraine.
Reports suggest that Ektov was killed in retaliation by a deserter. Allegedly, Ektov accepted bribes from a soldier to avoid pursuit, but when he demanded more money and the soldier refused, Ektov proceeded to terrorize the soldier’s family. In response, the soldier confessed to shooting Ektov.
The officer, previously convicted for violent offenses, was enlisted to intimidate deserters and their families, coercing them to return to the warfront as expendable pawns for Putin’s agenda. Alongside his group of violent associates, Ektov pursued absconding soldiers in the Siberian region of TransBaikal and those evading conscription.
In a distressing incident, Ektov’s gang abducted and tortured the second cousin of deserter Pyotr Muratov to disclose the deserter’s whereabouts, subsequently subjecting Muratov to the same brutal treatment.
Similar events unfolded with deserter Alexei Oschchepkov, whose father, Vladimir, and friend Nikolai, were kidnapped and tortured by the group, leading to the forced return of both Muratov and Oschchepkov to their military unit.
Ektov allegedly accepted £9,000 in bribes from another deserter, Vladimir Popov, to avoid pursuit and deployment to the perilous war zone. However, after taking the money, Ektov demanded additional funds, triggering a fatal confrontation when Popov resisted. Popov defended his family by fatally shooting Ektov after the officer assaulted his grandmother and demanded information on the missing soldier.
Footage captured Ektov’s lifeless body in the snow in Borzya, Russia. Popov confessed to the killing on video, citing Ektov’s breach of trust and mistreatment of his family as reasons for his actions.
The Russian Investigative Committee has initiated a criminal investigation into the incident.