Marauding Russian troops looted homes and stores belonging to their own civilian population, the former regional governor, now a cabinet minister, has finally admitted.
The admission came during a meeting with the residents of the Glushkovo district, where many such cases have been recorded. Starovoyt’s words were welcomed with applause, a video that surfaced on November 14 shows.
RT wartranslated ""Russian military officers are engaged in looting in Kursk region." - ex-governor Starovoit.
— GMan (Ґленн) ☘️🇬🇧🇺🇦🇺🇸🇵🇱🇮🇱🍊🌻 (@FAB87F) November 14, 2024
Former Kursk Region governor and Russian Transport Minister Roman Starovoit has once again confirmed the facts of looting in the abandoned se… pic.twitter.com/eEUAEyyENN"
This stands in contrast to the previous line taken by the Russian authorities, which denied reports of marauding Russian troops.
Looting and property destruction in Glushkovo have previously been reported by the TASS state news agency, but the dispatch assigned the blame for these actions to Ukrainian forces. The dispatch was redacted following Russian war correspondents pointing out that the village never came under Ukrainian control.
Glushkovo residents reported their houses and businesses looted back in August and September when they returned to their homes after being evacuated, the independent Russian Mediazona news outlet said.
The authorities initially tried to sweep the reports from the locals under the rug or shift the blame onto Ukrainian forces, but the outrage was too great to be ignored.
Videos of Russian soldiers looting a MegaFon mobile phone operator store and a Wildberries online retailer parcel collection point also surfaced as early as August.Russian military (Kadyrovites) are looting Russian stores in Glushkovo, Kursk region, which will soon be cut off from the main Russian forces when the last bridges across the Seim River are completely destroyed. pic.twitter.com/qXfl6nxgoD
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) August 18, 2024
According to Mediazona, the bulk of the reports about looting came from Koronevo, a settlement that remained under Russian control. The Ukrainian advance toward Koronevo was halted about 10 kilometers from the settlement. In spite of that, homes and businesses were looted by uniformed men, locals said in a video recording appealing to Vladimir Putin to take action.In Glushkovo, Kursk region, looters from the Russian army ransacked a Wildberries pickup point. Ukrainian troops are at least 10 km away from this settlement. Russian channels report that this is already the fifth recorded case of looting in the Kursk region by either Russian… pic.twitter.com/CRHhXY6ZCU
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated) September 11, 2024
Tamara Skrinnikova, a local businesswoman, told BBC Russian Service that the door to her house had been broken in, home appliances such as the oven and dishwasher were broken, and even the walls were sprayed with ketchup.
A car was stolen from her garage, while a TV set, a welder and a vacuum cleaner were taken from her house. Phones and laptops disappeared from Skinnikova’s store.
She found government-issue shampoo in her bathroom, however, along with other proof of Russian soldiers’ presence in her house. A vehicle not belonging to the family was found abandoned in the driveway.
The Skrinnikov family’s safe had also been broken into, with binoculars, a hunting rifle and knives missing. The fact weapons were stolen was what prompted the family to notify local authorities.
Her neighbors reported a similar experience upon their return.
“I’m not the only one, everybody in our street has the same problem,” said a man who had his garage broken into twice in the span of a month.
Another resident published a video of a soldier looting a car-parts store.
Dosye Shpiona (Spy Dossier), the Telegram channel that published the appeal to Putin signed by some 100 residents of Koronevo, reported that 20 businesses and 10 homes were looted.Владелец магазина автозапчастей в эвакуированном курском поселке Коренево показал последствия ограбления. Губернатор называл сообщения о мародерах «информационным вбросом»https://t.co/lAKd61ckFa
— Медиазона (@mediazzzona) October 30, 2024
Видео: «Пепел Курск» pic.twitter.com/WRq69b0PuL
“There were no Ukrainian forces here but all the gas stations, drug stores and shops have been pillaged,” the locals said.
Back then, the authorities denied instances of looting and marauding. The military police denied this was the case altogether, while various authority figures said the reports were fake news promoted by the Ukrainians.
