Bosnian volunteer in Russian army Davor Savičić suspected of war crimes in Ukraine

(Patria) - Davor Savičić, a volunteer from Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Russian army, is suspected of war crimes against the civilian population, as announced in the Official Gazette of Ukraine.

Savičić holds both Bosnian and Russian citizenship and is suspected of cruel treatment of civilians, as well as other violations of the laws and customs of war established by international treaties.

He is also suspected of committing the act in complicity with other persons by prior agreement.

Ukrainian authorities have given Savičić the opportunity to voluntarily report for questioning in June 2026.

Authorities in Ukraine, in the Official Gazette of May 22, 2026, state that from February to March 2022, Savičić commanded the "Vukovi" unit, which conducted operations in the Kyiv region within the "Vostok" group as part of the Russian Armed Forces.

Today, he is a member of the private military formation "Redut".

Details about his case were published on May 26, 2026, by the organization "Book of Executioners of the Ukrainian People," created in 2022 on the initiative of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The website of that organization states that the investigation against Savičić has been ongoing since 2024. The organization refers to the Security Service of Ukraine and the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense.

Savičić is suspected, as explained, of ordering a local resident on March 3, 2022, in the village of Fedorivka, who was hiding in a concrete pipe, to undress down to his underwear.

It is stated that soldiers with Savičić confiscated the man's phone, tied his hands with a plastic tie, and blindfolded him, after which they took him to the forest.

The man was then allegedly tied to a tree, and a hand grenade with the pin removed was placed between his back and the tree trunk, forcing him to stand upright for about two hours. The victim was then taken for questioning.

The Ukrainian organization "Book of Executioners of the Ukrainian People" further states that Savičić allegedly demanded information about the positions of the Ukrainian army from the man and forced him to give a statement to a Russian media outlet.

When the man refused, Savičić allegedly hit him on the legs, head, and back with the butt of his rifle. The investigation states that the victim was then forced to dig a hole in the ground, where the man spent seven days with almost no food or water.

Also, on March 5, 2022, the Russian army entered a private home in the village of Ivankiv, where they found and detained a woman. The soldiers tied her hands with a rope, took her to the forest, and held her captive there until March 8, 2022.

The organization "Book of Executioners of the Ukrainian People" states that on March 6, the captured woman was taken for questioning by Savičić, who allegedly demanded information about the Ukrainian army from her, after which he organized the recording of her statement for propaganda purposes.

Savičić is suspected of threatening the woman and hitting her with a chair to intimidate her.

In May 2025, a photo with Savičić was published by the then-President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, who was visiting Russia and met with a representative of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

According to official data from Ukrainian authorities, about 200 volunteers from the Balkans are currently fighting on the Russian side in Ukraine, despite the fact that fighting in foreign battlefields is prohibited by national legislation.

Ukrainian authorities previously requested information from Bosnia and Herzegovina about 12 citizens of BiH suspected of war crimes on Ukrainian soil.

Europol previously announced that these citizens of BiH are part of a group of 654 individuals suspected of committing the most serious war crimes on Ukrainian territory as members of the Russian paramilitary companies "Wagner" and "Redut".