Bosnian Serb Davor Savicic, accused of committing war crimes against civilians while fighting alongside Russian forces, failed to appear at his first court hearing in Ukraine, prompting the court to postpone proceedings.
A phone shows a photo of Davor Savicic, which was sent to BIRN undercover reporters in 2025. Photo: BIRN.
Davor Savicic, accused of crimes against civilians during Russian forces’ temporary occupation of parts of the Kyiv region after the start of their full-scale invasion in 2022, did not appear for the first hearing in his war crimes trial on Wednesday at the Borodianka District Court.
Savicic, 46, is a Bosnian Serb from Banovici
Savicic, 46, is a Bosnian Serb from Banovici who holds both Bosnian band Russian citizenship. Ukrainian authorities accuse him of commanding a unit known as The Wolves, which operated as part of the Redut military formation alongside Russian forces.
Ukrainian prosecutors filed an indictment in June 30 accusing him of violating the laws and customs of war over alleged crimes committed against civilians in Fedorivka, Ivankiv and surrounding areas during the Russian occupation of parts of the Kyiv region in 2022.
The indictment raises allegations about the capture and abuse of civilians. One of the victims told BIRN in an interview that Russian forces seized him in Fedorivka on March 3, 2022. He said he was blindfolded, bound and taken to a forest, where he was beaten and tied to a tree with a grenade placed between his back and the trunk. He was subsequently held for days in a pit and also forced to dig positions for military vehicles.
Mykola told BIRN that Savicic oversaw his captivity
Mykola told BIRN that Savicic oversaw his captivity and that he saw him regularly when his blindfold was removed. He also alleged that he was forced to make false statements on camera claiming that he was an officer of Ukraine’s SBU security service.
The footage was subsequently broadcast by Russia’s Channel One.
Another Ukrainian civilian is also listed as a victim in the case. Investigators allege that she was detained and brought to Savicic for interrogation, where she was questioned about Ukrainian forces and forced to participate in a staged interview for Russian media.
Regarding his non-appearance in court, Savicic’s state-funded defence lawyer Dmytro Zemnytskyi told BIRN that the authorities used all available contact details known to investigators to try to notify Savicic of the hearing, including email addresses, social media accounts, the Ukrainian government newspaper Uriadovyi Kurier and other official online channels.
Once the notification procedure required by Ukrainian law
Once the notification procedure required by Ukrainian law has been completed, the defendant is considered to have been properly informed of the hearing.
The next hearing is tentatively scheduled for October 17, although the date has yet to be confirmed. If Savicic continues to fail to appear after being properly notified, prosecutors could eventually file a motion requesting special proceedings in absentia, Zemnytskyi said.
Savicic has previously failed to respond to requests for comment. His current whereabouts have not been confirmed.
Source: balkaninsight.com
