Natalya Darmobid (34): tot.

Oleksandr Darmobid (38): tot.

Vladyslav Darmobid (13): tot.

Kyrylo Darmobid (6): tot.

All shot by two Russian soldiers: Andrei Tolstikov (36) and Ivan Kasyan (31). They were reportedly arrested by the Russian army on suspicion of murder. The independent Russian news portal “Astra”, which repeatedly uncovers atrocities committed by the Russian army in the Ukraine war, has researched her story.

On November 18, Tolstikov and Kasyan reportedly broke into the house of the Darmobid family in the village of Komysh-Zoria, Zaporizhia region. They raped Natalya Darmobid, shot all four people, and then robbed the house.

According to Astra, Tolstikov and Kasyan belonged to the 57th Regiment of the 6th Motorized Rifle Division. Tolstikov in particular has a cruel background. In 2008 he was sentenced to 13 years in prison. He had murdered a woman. After his release, he worked at a food factory in the Moscow region. In June 2022, he was sent to fight in Ukraine – presumably as a volunteer contract soldier.

A man who fought with him in Ukraine tells Astra: “He behaved inappropriately. He often drank in a group of drinkers. They went through the village and boasted about their deeds. He was harassing the residents.” A colleague describes Tolstikov as a “drunk psycho”.

In September Tolstikov was wounded and treated in a Russian hospital. But he came back to the front. And together with Kasyan apparently murdered the family of four.

Kasyan, 31, is also from the Moscow region and worked in retail. He also has a criminal past. In 2011, according to “Astra”, he was sentenced to three years in prison for “abuse of authority”.