Accessibility links

Breaking News

Azov Battalion Commander Found Dead


Yaroslav Babych was found hanged on July 26.
Yaroslav Babych was found hanged on July 26.

A high-ranking commander of Ukraine's Azov battalion has been found dead in his apartment in the town of Bucha, outside Kyiv.

The press service of the Azov regiment, formerly a volunteer militia unit, said on Twitter on July 27 that Yaroslav Babych, a deputy chief of Azov's civil staff, was found hanged in the morning of July 26.

No further details were immediately available.

Investigations have been launched into the death.

The Azov Battalion was formed in 2014 to fight Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine's eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.

Azov is now part of the Interior Ministry's National Guard.

With reporting by UNIAN
  • 16x9 Image

    RFE/RL

    RFE/RL journalists report the news in 27 languages in 23 countries where a free press is banned by the government or not fully established. We provide what many people cannot get locally: uncensored news, responsible discussion, and open debate.

RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.

If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.

To find out more, click here.

XS
SM
MD
LG