Former Russian Serviceman Allegedly Killed in Explosion in Novomoskovsk

A former Russian serviceman who is accused of torturing Ukrainian prisoners of war at Penal Colony No. 1 in the Tula Region was allegedly killed in an explosion in Novomoskovsk, Tula Region.

ASTRA reported this.

The publication noted that a report about the death of Roman Syromyatnikov, who had participated in the war, appeared on a local news website. He had previously been described as a possible victim of the explosion.

Syromyatnikov worked as a teacher in Novomoskovsk and regularly wrote about his students’ participation in the war. He had previously served with the airborne company of the 51st Regiment of the 106th Tula Guards Airborne Division.

In September 2025, Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office published a notice of suspicion against Syromyatnikov.

According to investigators, he worked at Penal Colony No. 1 in the Tula Region and, together with other employees, subjected at least 50 Ukrainian prisoners of war to physical and psychological violence.

In particular, he is accused of beating prisoners of war with rubber batons, carpentry hammers and improvised objects, as well as torturing them with electric shocks.

“Syromyatnikov R.O., Sarichev M.D., and Silyev V.V., together with other unidentified employees of the penal colony, acting intentionally as a group, understanding that an international armed conflict has been ongoing between the Russian Federation and Ukraine since February 19, 2014, acting under the conditions of and in connection with this conflict, aware that […] was a prisoner of war, taking advantage of the victim’s defenseless condition, in violation of Articles 4, 13 and 14 of the Geneva Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War, carrying out their criminal intent aimed at inflicting physical and psychological violence on the victim, jointly connected electrical wires from a TA-57 field telephone to the victim’s ears, hands and feet, through which they applied electric current to those areas for an extended period,” the suspicion notice said.

Explosion in Novomoskovsk

The incident occurred on the morning of October 2 in Novomoskovsk, Tula Region, on Druzhby Street. According to local residents, the Russian serviceman’s car was blown up while moving, after which it continued moving under its own momentum and crashed into a pole.

According to the Russian media outlet VChK-OGPU, an explosive device may have been placed under the driver’s side of the vehicle.

Footage recorded by eyewitnesses shows security forces, including members of the Russian National Guard. In comments on the Podslushano Novomoskovsk community, users reported that the road had been closed and that forensic investigators and military personnel were working at the site.

One commenter claimed there was a hole in the underbody beneath the driver’s seat. At the same time, others suggested that gas had exploded inside the vehicle.