U.S. charges four Russian soldiers with torturing U.S. national in Ukraine

This was announced by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, according to the U.S. Treasury Department.

"War crimes charges against four Russia-affiliated military personnel were unsealed today in the Eastern District of Virginia. The charges include torture, inhuman treatment, and unlawful confinement of a U.S. national in Ukraine following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022," the press release reads.

According to court documents, four Russian soldiers abducted the U.S. national from his home in the village of Mylove in the Kherson region in southern Ukraine and unlawfully confined him for at least ten days.

During the abduction, the defendants and others allegedly threw the victim face down to the ground while he was naked, tied his hands behind his back, pointed a gun at his head, and severely beat him, including with the stocks of their guns.

During the illegal detention, the American was tortured by four defendants and other unnamed co-defendants.

The case is the first time the U.S. government has used a law aimed at prosecuting those who commit war crimes against U.S. citizens abroad.