Crime: Indictment: Russian is said to have murdered Ukrainian soldiers

After the violent death of two Ukrainian soldiers in Murnau, Upper Bavaria, the Munich Public Prosecutor’s Office has filed murder charges against a Russian.

The 57-year-old, who had lived in Germany since the early 1990s and had appeared before the police several times, is said to have been close to the two men, 23 and 36 years old, who had been operated on in the Murnau accident clinic after war injuries in April of this year in a shopping center. This was said to have been preceded by an argument between the men, who knew each other briefly, about the situation in Ukraine.

The defendant is said to have felt “his national pride hurt”.

“As a supporter of exaggerated Russian nationalism, he fully supports the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine,” said the public prosecutor’s office in announcing the charges against the 57-year-old. The defendant is said to have felt “his national pride hurt” by the dispute. He also felt that his hostility towards the Ukrainian soldiers had been confirmed.

According to the public prosecutor’s office, the 57-year-old took a knife from his nearby apartment and stabbed his first victim in the neck. He is then said to have stabbed the second man. Both died.

Characteristics of murder: Insidiousness and base motives

The prosecution assumes base motives were the hallmark of the murder – and treachery. The men are said to have been innocent and – having previously consumed alcohol with the defendant – very drunk.

The Bavarian Central Office for Combating Extremism and Terrorism (ZET) conducted the investigation. The Munich II Regional Court must now decide whether to allow charges against the Russian, who is currently in custody in Munich’s Stadelheim prison, and to open the main proceedings.

The deaths of the two soldiers caused horror in the spring. At a memorial service, clergy called for peace and reconciliation.

“The goal was to get healthy here and return home safely. It is unbelievable to us what happened,” said Mayor Rolf Beuting (ÖDP) at the time. “Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the lies and discord that have been deliberately spread around the world for several years are spoiling the peaceful coexistence of the people of Ukraine.” The seeds of Putin and his henchmen are also growing in Germany. The death of the Ukrainians, presumably killed by a Russian citizen, is a bitter reminder of this.