A former member of Advanced Company, a Brazilian-led foreign fighter unit operating under Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR), has come forward on the record to corroborate details of a recent Kyiv Independent investigation into the death of 23-year-old recruit Bruno Gabriel Leal da Silva at the unit’s base in Kyiv late last year.
Daniel Santos Reis told the Kyiv Independent the unit regularly used beatings and torture as "discipline," and that a beating preceded the death of Leal da Silva.
Reis, who said he served in an infomal leadership role under Advanced commander Leanderson Paulino, said he personally witnessed repeated "remaços" beatdowns, and that he saw at least six individuals subjected to more severe torture-style abuse over the past year. The Kyiv Independent has interviewed other witnesses who described and corroborated details of these and other incidents, and reviewed supporting photos or video related to several of the allegations.
Reis’s testimony comes after a Kyiv Independent investigation last week — based on multiple interviews with anonymous former Advanced Company fighters — exposed not only details about Leal da Silva's death, but the routine violence meted out to those under Paulino's command.
Reis said he was going public with his account and wanted to talk to investigators — despite possible threats against both himself and his family — because "the truth has to be told."
"And I believe Bruno deserves respect, and his family also deserves respect and every possible clarification," he added.
The Kyiv Independent has verified Reis's identity and his role in Advanced Company through documents and interviews with other Advanced Company fighters.
Reis said Paulino gave him the title of "sergeant" inside the unit and put him in charge of recruiting, paperwork, and meals, but the title was not an official rank in Ukraine’s Armed Forces.
He said he left the unit in early February and was applying for asylum in an EU country. He waited until his wife and child were out of Ukraine before coming forward.
"If I provided any clarification, any statement against Leanderson Paulino, my family could be taken," he said.
New account of Leal da Silva’s death
Reis said he was in Zaporizhzhia Oblast in southern Ukraine with Paulino when Leal da Silva died, but, as the person in charge of recruits, stayed in contact with the Kyiv base.
He said a soldier acting as a supervisor reported that Leal da Silva threatened to take his passport and leave, was later found drinking at a bar and brought back, then got into a dispute at the base. Reis said they first tried to defuse the situation by making the men spar with boxing gloves, but later the supervisor took Leal da Silva to "the container," an area outside the view of security cameras that was used for punishment.
Reis said the supervisor sent him an audio message during the night discussing tying Leal da Silva up, since the base’s jail cell was not available. Reis provided the Kyiv Independent with this audio message as well as several screenshots of what he said were his conversations with the supervisors at the base.
The supervisor told him he would not do anything without authorization from Paulino. Later, Reis said Paulino took the phone to continue the conversation directly.
Around 5 a.m., Reis said, the supervisor called again. "I tried to wake Bruno up for breakfast, but he isn’t responding," Reis recalled being told.
Reis said he did not directly hear what order Paulino gave, but that one of the men acting as supervisors later admitted to him that they beat Leal da Silva the night of his death.
A photo shared with the Kyiv Independent and widely circulated online appears to show a shirtless man resembling Leal da Silva lying on a wooden floor while a man in a black Advanced uniform performs chest compressions. Several others in camouflage and boots stand around him. Bruising is visible on his torso, and a dark red stain is visible on the front of his underwear.
"I think the order was 'give him a 'remaço',’" Reis said.
Reis said Paulino later tried to shift responsibility when police arrived at the base, telling them Reis was the person "responsible" for the base and urging him to testify in his place.
Paulino has not responded to repeated requests for comment.
Culture of abuse
Reis said he witnessed about 10 "remaços" beatdowns since he joined Advanced last February. "If someone refused, (Paulino) would pull a gun and threaten them: 'If you don’t hit him, I’ll hit you,’" Reis said.
Reis also said he witnessed the torture of a solider in November, an incident covered in the Kyiv Independent investigation.
He said this session involved electric shock, pulling out of nails, whipping, pouring salt water over wounds, sexual assault and exposure to cold water.
"I saw it," Reis said.
He also described training sessions for new recruits he said were called "evening hell" and "prisoner of war" in which recruits were beaten, had water poured onto their faces and were "drowned" while lying on the ground. Reis said the sessions were framed as training for capture but, in his view, crossed a line into abuse.
"I never took part in torture. I’ve witnessed it, but I took part in 'remaço’ once, because Paulino forced me to," Reis said.
The criminal case
Ukrainian prosecutors have said police opened a pre-trial investigation after Leal da Silva’s body was found, and Ukraine’s military ombudsman has said her office ordered an inspection of Advanced Company. HUR told the Kyiv Independent that they will conduct their own internal investigation into Advanced Company.
Kyiv Police issued a statement Feb. 21 saying Leal da Silva’s case was being investigated as "negligent homicide" (manslaughter through negligence) and that "preliminary findings indicate that the man was a volunteer and was undergoing military training. After one stage of the training, he became ill and died the following day."
Reis said this account was not accurate, as Leal da Silva was not "undergoing training" — he had asked to leave the unit to return home to Brazil, and was waiting for documents to allow him to cross the border.
Reis said Leal da Silva never signed a military contract and wanted to return home. "He died as a civilian — he never signed (a contract)," Reis said.
HUR has confirmed that Leal da Silva had not signed a military contract.
Starbucks adds new secret menu drink after MrBeast partnership success