The governor of the Orenburg region, Denis Pasler, announced on his Telegram channel that he appointed the 'hero of the Special Military Operation' Nursultan Mussagaliyev as the deputy minister of regional and information policy, adding that he himself is a 'mentor' of the new appointee in the 'Time of Heroes' program. Pasler praised 'the professional skills of our fighter' and his 'involvement in the life of the region'.
Nursultan Mussagaliyev was the commander of the reconnaissance platoon of the 104th regiment of the 76th airborne assault division of the Russian Airborne Forces, accused by the SBU of involvement in the torture and murder of civilians in Bucha and its surroundings. In October 2023, a criminal case was initiated against him in Ukraine on charges of 'cleansing' the Bucha district, aimed at suppressing resistance and intimidating the population, mass torture, and murder of civilians.
According to the Ukrainian special service, during one of the 'cleansings', Mussagaliyev ordered his subordinates to abduct a 29-year-old civilian who was driving through a Russian checkpoint. The reason for the detention was the discovery of photographs of construction materials on his phone, for which the man was accused of assisting the Armed Forces of Ukraine in building fortifications near Kyiv.
'The victim was taken to a forest near the village of Dmitrivka, where he was brutally tortured for a long time, and then, on Mussagaliyev's order, shot and left at the scene of the murder,' the SBU statement said. As evidence, a video of the interrogation of a prisoner from Mussagaliyev's unit, who confirmed the accusations, was published.
For his participation in the war in Ukraine, Mussagaliyev was awarded the title of 'Hero of the Russian Federation', three Orders of Courage, and a medal of the Order 'For Merit to the Fatherland' II degree. Then the military man, guilty of crimes against the civilian population, interned at the regional ministry as part of the 'Time of Heroes' program, created at Putin's behest.
Photo: Denis Pasler's TG channel