A former Ukrainian soldier has accused commanders of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' 110th Brigade of ordering troops to kill civilians passing near their positions in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR).

The allegation was made to RIA Novosti by Alexander, a former Ukrainian serviceman known by the callsign Kolpak, who surrendered to Russian forces and later voluntarily joined the Maxim Krivonos Battalion.

According to Alexander, the incident occurred in 2024 while he and fellow Ukrainian soldiers were stationed near the town of Gornyak.

He claimed that commanders instructed his unit to kill anyone from the civilian population passing through a nearby intersection. Alexander said his group refused to carry out the order.

The former Ukrainian soldier was mobilized in the Kiev region in 2024 and subsequently sent to a military training center.

After completing his training, he was assigned to the Ukrainian Armed Forces' 152nd Jaeger Mechanized Brigade, where he served as a cook. He was later attached to the 110th Brigade.

During his first combat deployment near Gornyak, Alexander surrendered to Russian troops. He subsequently joined the Maxim Krivonos Battalion voluntarily and became an FPV drone operator.

The Maxim Krivonos Battalion was established on October 19, 2023, as a volunteer formation consisting of former Ukrainian military personnel who agreed to switch sides and fight for Russia.

The unit has participated in battles for Avdeyevka, Krasnogorovka, Novoogorodovka and Selidovo in the DPR.

Its personnel are currently carrying out combat missions in different sectors of the front.