Former Russian prisoner sent to fight in Ukraine arrested in occupied Donetsk region over rape and murder of nine-year-old girl

Russian-installed authorities in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic have detained a former soldier on suspicion of raping and killing a nine-year-old girl, according to the outlet E1.ru and the Telegram channel Ostorozhno, Novosti.

Relatives said the child, identified in reports as Katya D., went missing on September 5 in the city of Yenakiieve after leaving home to play. Local social media pages posted appeals for help, with one noting that “the girl was last seen at the bus station in Kirovske in the company of a man in military uniform, of slim build. She may have been wearing a tracksuit.”

Two days later, the Telegram channel Mash na Donbasse reported that Katya had been found dead.

Soon afterward, authorities detained 32-year-old Russian war veteran Alexey Chumachenko. He reportedly pointed investigators to the spot where he had raped and killed the girl before buying her body, just 500 meters (1,640 feet) from her home.

Chumchenko had previously been convicted of rape in 2021. After serving time in prison, he joined the army and fought in Ukraine, according to media and Telegram channels. Friends of Katya’s family said that in 2024, Chumachenko deserted his unit and spent a year hiding at the home of Katya’s grandmother, whom he had asked for work.