Four Russian soldiers have been charged by the Kremlin with killing a US citizen. Russell Bentley, 64, who fought alongside pro-Putin rebels in eastern Ukraine, was tortured and murdered by Russian servicemen, Kremlin investigators said on Friday.

A Texan soldier fighting for Russia was killed in the spring, and Russia has said four Russian service members are to blame.

Russell Bentley, a U.S. national who went missing in Russian-controlled eastern Ukraine early this year, is believed to have been tortured to death by Russian soldiers who are now set to go on trial,

The four Russian soldiers, serving in occupied Ukraine, have been accused of ‘using physical violence and torture, causing the death’ of 64-year-old Russell Bentley, who frequently appeared on pro-Kremlin social media channels,