Pavel Klimenko

Pavel Yuryevich Klimenko was a Russian major general who commanded the 5th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade of the Russian Army based in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine.

Biography

Klimenko was born in Stavropol Krai on 29 June 1977. A graduate of Saint Petersburg's combined arms school, he served in North Caucasus and in Crimea prior to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Klimenko was promoted to major general in May 2024.
During the war in Ukraine, Klimenko's unit was accused of torturing Russian soldiers who refused to fight. Russian sources said that he had established a concentration camp at an abandoned mine outside Donetsk. Four members of the brigade were also tried for and convicted of the murder of Russell Bentley in April 2024.
Klimenko was killed in Ukraine on 6 November 2024, at the age of 47, hit by a Kamikaze drone. He was awarded the title Hero of the Russian Federation posthumously.