exclusive
Shortly after the outbreak of war, a German was shot by Russian units in Ukraine. The Federal Prosecutor General is investigating war crimes. NDR and WDR spoke to a suspect.
The uniformed, armed men look into the camera. Some smile. They obviously see that their actions are being filmed. They probably had no idea at the time that the footage from the supermarket’s surveillance cameras would later be used as evidence against them. It is the second day of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Moscow’s troops still believe they are confident of victory.
At the end of February 2022, a unit of the Russian National Guard – called OMON – moved into Hostomel, a town northwest of Kiev. Many Ukrainian civilians are trying to flee this area, especially by car. The OMON men besiege the access roads and position themselves at an intersection behind a supermarket.
The video recordings that the Ukrainian authorities were later able to secure show: The Russian guardsmen shot for hours at passing cars, all of them civilian. In the end, five civilians were dead at this point alone and eight others were injured, some seriously.
Several Russians charged in absentia
The events of February 25, 2022 are currently preoccupying a Ukrainian court in the city of Irpin. It is about the accusation of killing civilians – a suspected war crime. Several Russians are accused in absentia. But the judiciary in Ukraine is not the only one concerned with the shootings in Hostomel.
In Germany, the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) has been investigating for several months on behalf of the Federal Prosecutor General. One of the victims of the Russian National Guardsmen is a German: 44-year-old firefighter Steve Meiling from Borna in Saxony.
On the night of the Russian attack on Ukraine, Meiling set off in his car towards Kiev. He wanted to bring his Ukrainian wife and her child from there to Germany and was caught in a hail of bullets shortly before his destination.
“The main thing is that it ends quickly”
Meiling is believed to be one of the first civilian casualties on Shevshenka Street in Hostomel near Irpin this morning. His vehicle is literally riddled with bullets. He survives, seriously injured, and is able to drag himself to a nearby village, bleeding profusely. This is shown by images from surveillance cameras in the area.
A surveillance camera shows the injured Meiling.
“The main thing is that it ends quickly,” he thought shortly after the shots, Steve Meiling reports today. He can receive emergency surgery and care in the hospital in the Ukrainian town of Borodyanka.
After a few days, Meiling had to flee from there because Russian troops were approaching the hospital. Meanwhile, his wife manages to leave Kiev. They meet again in the town of Vinnytsia and from there travel towards the Polish border, Meiling describes it to reporters.
Around two years later, the couple lives together in Borna. There are said to be around 300 splinters still in Meiling’s body. “The scars will not disappear completely,” says Meiling. He often suffers from severe headaches.
Five suspects identified
Steve Meiling appears as a co-plaintiff in the German proceedings. It is the first personal criminal case in Germany regarding war crimes in Ukraine. Thanks to extensive surveillance camera footage, five Russian soldiers were identified as suspects.
They are members of the Russian National Guard unit OMON from Siberia. NDR and WDR followed their trail and were able to speak to one of Hostomel’s suspected shooters.
The highest-ranking suspect is Sergey K., commander of the OMON unit since 2005. K. is an OMON veteran; according to Russian newspaper reports, he took part in fighting in Grozny during the Chechen war in the 1990s. He is a figurehead for the troop, gives lectures and visits schools.
Suspected shooter identified
Another suspect is Nikita G. Investigators have identified the 30-year-old Russian as one of the suspected shooters. He can be seen several times on surveillance camera footage in Hostomel – including shooting towards the street. There are pictures online that show him in National Guard uniforms.
NDR and WDR found Nikita G., researched his contact details and called him. “Where did you get the number?” he asked on the phone. He does not deny that he was stationed with his unit on Shevshenka Street on February 25, 2022.
When asked what he says about the investigation into the alleged war crimes in Hostomel, Ukraine, he replies: “That’s nonsense. (…) What I think about it is purely my personal matter (…) They will lie anyway and write about it like that “How you need it. We already know that.”
Russian embassy does not want to comment
The Russian embassy in Berlin does not want to comment on the investigation. From there it is simply stated that the embassy “does not have any information on this”.
German prosecutors questioned Steve Meiling about his experiences in Hostomel. They are also in contact with the Ukrainian authorities and have evaluated evidence, including video recordings from surveillance cameras and photos on social networks. However, there are currently no German arrest warrants against the suspected war criminals.
When asked, the Federal Ministry of Justice did not want to comment on the specific procedure. But a spokesman said that Germany was “systematically identifying and securing evidence of war crimes in Ukraine.”
To this end, the Federal Prosecutor General’s staff has also been strengthened with two new departments. “In addition, Germany is fully supporting the International Criminal Court, to which the Federal Government is providing additional money and personnel,” said a spokesman for the ministry.
Federal Prosecutor’s Office collects evidence
The Federal Prosecutor General had already initiated a structural investigation into the war in Ukraine in 2022. The Karlsruhe authorities are collecting evidence and evidence of possible war crimes and crimes against humanity.
More than 160 witnesses have already been interviewed, primarily people who fled to Germany from Ukraine. The investigators have received more than 600 tips so far.
According to the principle of universal law, the German judiciary can punish crimes under international criminal law, such as war crimes, even if the acts did not take place in Germany and neither the perpetrator nor the victim are German nationals. This is what happened, for example, to several Syrians who were involved in torture and murder for the Assad regime. Or with rebel commanders from Rwanda.
Criticism of German authorities
Meiling’s lawyer Gabor Subai is critical of the fact that German authorities have not yet issued any arrest warrants. Germany has some influence at the international level and should use it to ensure that the penalty is enforced, said Subai.
For Steve Meiling himself, participation in the ongoing investigation is important. He may also plan to testify as a witness in the Ukrainian trial in the coming months. For him, justice would be if the people who committed war crimes were punished – “and it’s not just about me,” says Meiling.
You can see more about this and other topics today at 9:45 p.m. on Panorama on Erste.