The Investigative Committee of Russia reported on its Telegram channel that four suspects have been detained in connection with the murder of a family in Makeevka. The information indicates that eight people, including three children, were found dead at a private residence in Makeevka, which is part of the Donetsk People’s Republic. A rapid response was launched, with security teams setting up a cordon and pursuing leads that led to the detention of four individuals in an apartment in Donetsk.
During a search of the suspects’ apartment, authorities recovered an AK-74 assault rifle, three magazines, and two hand grenades, which have been forwarded for ballistic and forensic examination. The Donetsk law enforcement authorities have provided further details, noting that three residents of the Kalininsky microdistrict were detained after a high-speed operation. All three had prior convictions.
According to an official report, the incident occurred at 21:15 on December 26, when a task unit of the Chervonogvardeisky District Police Department in Makeevka received a call reporting the discovery of eight bodies, including four children, at a private household. Investigators say a Skoda was stolen from the yard around the same time. The detainees are said to have admitted involvement in the crime, citing mercenary motives tied to stealing a vehicle and other valuables.
The head of the Makeevka administration, Vladislav Klyucharov, provided additional details, describing the event as a robbery that escalated into violence. He indicated that the suspects fled in the victim’s car and that the four children in the household included ages as young as one year old. He noted that the children were killed in the course of the incident and the suspects departed with the vehicle.
Officials stated that the detainees were apprehended under the city-wide “Siren” plan, a special operation designed to detain dangerous criminals through enhanced document checks, vehicle inspections, and increased patrols. In interviews with RIA Novosti, the relatives of the victims expressed that robbery did not appear to be the motive, arguing that the crime was a sudden attack simply aimed at taking the car. They described a scene of violence with no valuables taken from the home beyond the stolen vehicle.
According to investigators, the case falls under Part 2 of Article 105 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, involving the killing of two or more people. The suspected perpetrators face the possibility of the death penalty. An additional charge relates to illegal possession of a vehicle without intent to use it for theft, committed by a group with prior agreement, under Part 2 of Article 166 of the same code.
In the DPR, death penalty provisions had been a point of policy, and recent official actions have addressed the status of capital punishment in the region. Documents published in October suggested that norms conflicting with the Constitution of the Russian Federation would not be applied in the DPR, LPR, and other newly integrated areas. Officials indicated plans to align legal provisions with the broader Russian framework before the completion of the integration process, which was targeted for early 2026. These developments have shaped ongoing legal discussions in the region.