Putin’s ‘butcher of Bucha’ commander ‘oversaw rape and genocide of Ukrainians’ weeks after being blessed by priest

A RUSSIAN commander dubbed the “Butcher of Bucha” after overseeing the rape and murder of innocent Ukrainians was recently blessed by the Orthodox Church. Lieutenant Colonel Azatbek Omurbekov has been named and shamed following troops’ “utterly inhuman” conduct when occupying the city. East2WestLieutenant Colonel Azatbek Omurbekov was blessed by an Orthodox priest in November[/caption] APHe and his troops have left a trail of destruction and trauma in Bucha[/caption] APMass graves have cropped up across the previously occupied city[/caption] He is the commander of the 64th Separate Motorised Rifle Brigade, who left a trail of death and destruction in their wake before their retreat. The town on the outskirts of the capital is now littered with mass graves and corpses rotting in the street as survivors suffer untold trauma. Attention has now fallen onto the leader of the barbarous pack, Omurbekov, after his identity was exposed online. The “Butcher of Bucha”, who is believed to be around 40, has now been accused of orchestrating the horrific rape and slaughter of hundreds of Ukrainians. No data found InformNapalm, a Ukrainian volunteer initiative that monitors the activities of the Russian military and special services, discovered he is a seasoned veteran and commander of unit 51460. Omurbekov, whose unit is based in a town outside Khabarovsk in the Russian Far East, was blessed by an Orthodox priest in November. Before his deployment to Ukraine, the Bishop of Khabarovsk led a service for the warmonger. The commander said after the ceremony: “History shows that we fight most of our battles with our souls. Most read in The Sun DEATH PILED HIGH Bodies of slaughtered Russian paras piled up as Putin 'loses 20k soldiers’ WRITE OFF Will Smith facing new humiliation as man who bedded Jada signs huge book deal ROT IN HELL Musician, 24, facing life in jail for murdering teen, 18, after bus stop snatch WHEELY PRICEY Katie Price splashes out on £179k Ferrari despite not being allowed to drive PASS IT ON Passport warning as Brits banned from boarding flights due to confusing rules BENEFIT CHECK Major benefits shake-up 'in weeks' with huge Universal Credit change “Weapons are not the most important thing. The church is a place where we can take communion and prepare for the coming events. “With the blessing of the Almighty, we hope to achieve the same things that our forebears achieved.” Omurbekov was handed a medal for outstanding service back in 2014 by the deputy Russian defence minister, Dmitry Bulgakov. The Butcher is now at the centre of a look into a probe into the rape, pillage and murder of hundreds of innocents. International law states a military commander is responsible for any war crimes committed by his troops. Volunteers group Tretya Sila said: “In Bucha, there was a military unit 51460 from the village of Knyaze-Volkonskoye, Khabarovsk region.  “Soon all these murderers, rapists and looters will be known by name.”  Ukrainian reporter Evgeny Spirin spoke of the harrowing cruelty Putin’s men had inflicted upon civilians – specifically women and children. He said: “Some of the killed children had their arms tied up. Children…. They were tying up children. “There were shot dogs. Killed women. Irpen, Bucha, Dmitrievka. How to live with this, and is it worth living at all?  Read More on The Sun BOMBSHELL LETTERS Charles letters reveal he asked paedophile Jimmy Savile to advise royals ROM KICKED IN THE ROUBLES Sanctioned Abramovich 'begs pals to lend him £1M to stay afloat' “How do I explain this to myself, how? They must cease to exist.  “They must all be destroyed, each and every one of them, turned into dust, into mud, into clay, all of them.”