Short video of Russell's wife, Lyudmila showing Russell's phone. From what I understand she recovered it shortly after Russell did not return after heading toward smoke, then he left her there in mid town Donetsk to see if he could help someone if a fire?. She became worried when he didn't return. She went toward the area then too, found the phone and no sign of Russell... Cynthia. Text on this video explains that best: https://www.brighteon.com/87e56c6c-949f-4c45-8169-0f42287ecf8e

👁 Murder of Russell "Texas" Bentley, basic facts:

🔹A white Niva (car) stolen from near “Avtobaza” was found blown up and burned out at the brick factory in the Petrovsky district of Donetsk, almost at the front line. Inside were Russell's remains.

🔹The body was incinerated. Collected fragments were taken from Donetsk for DNA analysis.

🔹Two separate criminal cases, the “disappearance” and the “murder” cases, were combined into a single case and taken under the control of the Main Military Investigative Authority of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation due to the magnitude of the public outcry. Donetsk tried to hush it up, but Moscow did not allow it.

🔹He was kidnapped by soldiers of the 5th (tank) brigade (https://t.me/kpobede/445), the commander of which took the blame of his subordinates.

🔹Russell's wife took Russell's destroyed phone from the Niva at “Avtobaza” on April 8, before it was stolen. The phone was restored on April 10 and transferred to the Investigative Committee on April 11. There were no photos, videos or outgoing calls made after 16:15pm on April 8 found in the phone’s memory. Had it been the case, the phone would have been kept as evidence.

This is the end of my report on the facts. Personally, I will add that the best memory of Russell would be the continuation of his work of helping people, in whose memory he is still alive. As Texas himself had repeatedly asked, he should be buried next to his close friend, Donetsk bard Sergei Lysenko (https://t.me/TXDPR/12518) , who died in the Northern Military District and was buried in the “Zakharchenko square”. Eternal memory... and in songs too. It’s a pity that they never had time to record “Heart” - don’t put off life until tomorrow, because tomorrow it may no longer exist. Live. Take action. Today, here and now.

Vlad Filin, April 28, 2024

Also Adding: Journalist Andrey Medvedev's commentary (https://t.me/MedvedevVesti/17350)  20.04.2024

About the death of Russell Bentley. My colleague is absolutely right. Hiding that an American volunteer was killed only makes it worse (https://t.me/Marinaslovo/8329).

1) Russell Bentley came to Novorossiya in 2014. From the USA, changing Texas to Donetsk. He chose to fight for the Russians of Donbass when many a statesman in Russia could not yet decide what to do with Donbass. He fought, he became a citizen of Russia, an Orthodox Christian. To pretend that Russell Bentley was just walking down the street, fell and died is disrespectful to his memory, fate and choice.

2) It's pointless to hide that Russell was killed. And it's the same as covering up for murderers. In addition, Alexander Kofman [Chairman of the Public Chamber of DPR] is right - these are huge reputational losses (https://t.me/matanaliz_kofman/3515). This topic is already being spun by our enemies. There is a veritable joyful frenzy in the information waste bins that the Russians killed an American militia member and are hiding it.

But we live in a society where it is almost impossible to hide something. The fact that Russell was detained by people in uniform, that he disappeared somewhere for several days, and only later he was found dead - it's not a secret to anyone. This was written both in TG and the official media. Those who need, do know all the circumstances. But I don't want to write about them. However, I will say this: it would be better if these circumstances did not exist.

3) Russell Bentley was a journalist. Yes, not a pro, yes, a stringer. But he worked for the official Russian media. Therefore, the silence of the Union of Journalists, which, in theory, should have indicated its position, is strange.

You must agree that the situation when a journalist disappears in Donetsk and then is found murdered cannot remain without a reaction from the community.

Nor, equally without the reaction of the law enforcement agencies. Still, as I far as I understand it, they are working.

But in such a situation, publicity is important, and not even to the journalists, not even to the family. This is extremely important for the state. The truth is never easy.

But it's much worse without the truth. Because, I repeat, we give our enemies room to work. They will use it, for sure.

Whatever we have not said, they will say it the way they see fit.

@BeornAndTheShieldmaiden