Alexander Bednov
Bednov in October 2014
Minister of Defence of the Luhansk People's Republic
In office
20 August 2014 – 26 August 2014
PresidentIgor Plotnitsky
Prime MinisterIgor Plotnitsky
Preceded byIgor Plotnitsky
Succeeded byOleg Bugrov
Personal details
Born
Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Bednov

(1969-08-29)29 August 1969
Luhansk, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Died1 January 2015(2015-01-01) (aged 45)
Lutuhyne, Luhansk Oblast, Ukraine[a]
NicknameBatman
Military service
Allegiance Soviet Union
 Ukraine
 Luhansk People's Republic
Branch/serviceMilitsiya
Unit Batman Rapid Response Group
Battles/warsWar in Donbas

Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Bednov (Russian: Алекса́ндр Алекса́ндрович Бедно́в, Ukrainian: Олекса́ндр Олекса́ндрович Бєдно́в; 29 August 1969 – 1 January 2015) was a former Soviet and Ukrainian militsiya officer and rebel commander of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic in Ukraine.[1] He was the leader of the pro-Russian Batman Rapid Response Group. He was assassinated in Luhansk, with a debate among his supporters on who was responsible[2] although on the day of his killing LPR "prosecutor's office" issued an official statement confirming "liquidation" of Bednov as "a head of a criminal organization".[3]

Death

Bednov commanded the Rapid Response Group "Batman" (also known as the Batman Battalion) until he was killed in an attack on his convoy on 1 January 2015.[4] LPR "prosecutor's office" described the attack as an "arrest attempt" in relation to a criminal investigation against Bednov started on 30 Demember 2014.[3]

Members of the group said that the attack was ordered by head of the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) Igor Plotnitsky.[4] According to them, Bednov and his fighters were shot and killed "by order of Plotnitsky" because he was "ordered to sweep all intransigent commanders."[5] Following this attack, the LPR arrested some of Bednov's men, and dissolved the battalion.[6] Some of its personnel were dispersed into other LPR units, while Donetsk People's Republic field commanders Givi and Motorola invited former members to join their battalions.[6]

After Bednov's assassination, Igor Girkin criticized the killing as a "murder" and "gangster ambush", and suggested that other commanders seriously consider leaving Donbas to Russia, as he did.[7]

Notes

  1. ^
    At the time of his death, Lutuhyne was part of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic.

References

  1. ↑ "Главарь банды "Бэтмен" раньше был вышибалой в луганском ночном клубе (+видео) - СЛЕД.net.ua". sled.net.ua. Archived from the original on 2018-09-03. Retrieved 2018-09-03.
  2. ↑ Orlando Crowcroft (4 June 2015). "Ukraine crisis: Who killed rebel leaders Alexei Mozgovoy and Alexandr 'Batman' Bednov?". International Business Times. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  3. 1 2 "Луганский Информационный Центр – Сотрудники спецслужб ЛНР уничтожили главаря бандгруппы "Бэтмена" и задержали его опасных подельников". lug-info.com (in Russian). 2 January 2015. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
  4. 1 2 Eugene Volokh (January 2, 2015). "Batman killed in the Ukraine, allegedly on orders from The Carpenter". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  5. ↑ "В Луганске убит обвиняемый в пытках командир ополченцев "Бэтмен"". РБК. 2 January 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  6. 1 2 "Secessionist Forces in Luhansk 'Republic': Order out of Chaos?". ICDS. 10 January 2015. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
  7. ↑ Игорь Стрелков призвал сепаратистов последовать его примеру [Igor Strelkov called separatists to follow his example] (in Russian). TV Rain. 2015-01-03. Retrieved 2015-01-04.
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