Case Explained: The executioner who thought he could hide. The story of a war crime the world already knows about – Legal Perspective

The name of the person who pulled the trigger in the first hours of the full-scale war is now forever entered in the register of war criminals.

It is Artem Viktorovych Skvortsov — an officer of the Russian army, born in Lipetsk, registered in Nizhny Novgorod, a captain who served in the 96th Separate Reconnaissance Brigade of the 1st Tank Army. A man who believed that the chaos of war would hide his crime.

But the war has long taught Ukrainians: evil must be called by name.

A full dossier on this monster was published in the Book of Executioners of the Ukrainian People.

The day a POW was executed point-blank

February 24, 2022. Okhtyrka is still holding the first blow of the invasion. A column of Russian reconnaissance troops moves along Tankistiv Kantemyrivtsiv Street. Within minutes, a Ukrainian Territorial Defense unit opens fire. Two Russian armored vehicles come under attack and stop near a gas station.

About fifteen Russian soldiers led by Skvortsov flee into a forest belt. There, among the trees and damp March air, they take positions, tensely waiting for Ukrainian fighters.

And one of them did come.

A Ukrainian serviceman, mobilized literally the day before, a young man in civilian clothes who went searching for the enemy group, unable to return knowing that somewhere in the forest the enemy lurked.

Moments later he ran into an ambush.

Under the aim of rifles, he laid down his weapon.

From this moment, international law clearly defines his status: hors de combat, a person who is out of combat and must be protected by international conventions.

But international conventions mean nothing to Skvortsov.

According to the investigation, he and another unidentified Russian soldier executed the Ukrainian on the spot.

The crime is documented. And it has a name.

When the criminal knows he has been found

On February 10, 2024, the Main Directorate of the National Police in Sumy region officially charged Skvortsov under Part 1 of Article 28 and Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — violation of the laws and customs of war combined with intentional murder committed by a group of persons.

This article is among the most severe. Its maximum penalty is life imprisonment. And one thing matters: justice does not forget. Its steps are silent, but inevitable.

In a world where every camera, every drone, every witness, and every document can become evidence, even a special-forces officer cannot hide. Not in Lipetsk. Not in Nizhny Novgorod. Not in trenches or behind orders.

When the name, date of birth, position, unit, movement route, circumstances, and time of the crime are established — this is no longer the fog of war.

This is a legal fact, from which the road to court begins.

Ukraine documents every crime. And every criminal knows it is forever

The investigation continues. The second participant in the execution is being identified. Testimonies are being gathered, evidence is being analyzed.

This is not revenge. This is law and justice — what distinguishes a civilized state from an aggressor. Skvortsov is no longer just an officer.

He is a suspect in a war crime. And for such people in the 21st century there is no safe place. Not because someone is hunting them. But because justice always comes — sooner or later — and always officially.

This is not fear of revenge. It is fear of inevitable accountability that will catch up with everyone who pulled the trigger, violating the laws of humanity.