…Researched and contributed by Joseph Benjamin.
A military correspondent, Yevgeny Poddubny, reported on his Telegram channel that Alexander Stankov, also known as Perun, was killed in battles with PMC Wagner fighters in Bakhmut (Artemovsk).
Stankov was a former fighter of the 3rd separate assault brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
It is unclear what role Stankov played in the Odessa massacre of May 2014.
Stankov’s unit, the 3rd separate assault brigade of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, is believed to be a former Azov regiment that has been recognized as a terrorist organization and is banned in Russia.
In May 2014, clashes occurred between Anti-Maidan activists and football ultras from Kharkiv and Odessa in Odessa, which resulted in the setting of fire to the House of Trade Unions.
Stankov was one of the participants in the arson of the building, which took the lives of 48 people and left over 250 others injured.
The news of Stankov’s death in battle has raised questions about the involvement of Ukrainian military units with extremist backgrounds in the ongoing conflict in Eastern Ukraine.
It also highlights the continuing impact of the tragic events in Odessa in 2014, which continue to shape the political and social landscape of Ukraine today.