A paratrooper accused of murdering and torturing Ukrainian civilians in Bucha has been selected to become part of Vladimir Putin’s new “elite.” Nursultan Mussagaleyev of the 76th Guards Air Assault Division was chosen to join a new program created by Putin called the “Time of Heroes,” according to the independent news outlet Agentstvo. The program aims to prepare veterans of the war against Ukraine for positions of power within the Russian government to create what the Russian president has dubbed the “true elite.” Mussagaleyev was personally singled out by Ukraine’s Security Service last year for the “mass torture and killing of civilians” in Bucha in early 2022. Among other things, he allegedly ordered subordinates to kidnap a 29-year-old civilian and execute him in a forest outside Kyiv. While Mussagaleyev is wanted for war crimes by Ukraine, he’s gained stardom back home, having been awarded the “Hero of Russia” title and featuring in a primetime propaganda film aired on Kremlin-controlled television.
