They ordered to blow up a dam in the Kharkiv region. Two Russian generals suspected of ecocide

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has gathered evidence against senior commanders of the Russian army who could have organized the destruction of the Oskil reservoir dam in the Kharkiv region in the fall of 2022.

This is reported by SBU.

According to the case materials, these actions were led by Lieutenant General Oleg Tsokov, commander of the 20th Combined Arms Army of the Western Military District of Russia, and Lieutenant General Oleg Makovetsky, commander of the 6th Army of the Air Force and Air Defense of the Russian Federation.

By order of Tsokov, on September 12, 2022, the engineering and sapper units subordinate to him mined and blew up the shield of the first gate and the roadblock between the hydroelectric power station building and the gallery of stationary mechanisms. Enemy aviation groups under the command of Makovetsky covered their sappers from the air.

Then, from September 13 to 30, 2022, Russian bombers regularly bombed the dam with high-explosive and guided bombs of the FAB-250, FAB-500, OFAB-500SHL, and KAB-1500 types. This caused a water leak from the reservoirʼs water area over an area of more than 120 km².

A comprehensive examination initiated by SBU estimated the damage caused to nature at almost 4 billion hryvnias. Based on the collected evidence, investigators in absentia reported Tsokov and Makovetskyi on suspicion under Part 2 of Art. 28, Part 1 of Art. 438 and Part 2 of Art. 28, Art. 441 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

Law enforcement officers are checking data on Tsokovʼs possible death in the war in Ukraine. His death is not a reason to stop the investigation, the Security Service says.

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