The Security Service of Ukraine reported the suspicion to two Russian generals who ordered to mine the "grain corridor" and fire on Ukrainian energy facilities, the press service writes.
It is about Chief of Staff of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Armed Forces Serhiy Pinchuk and Deputy Commander of Long-range Aviation of the Russian Armed Forces Aerospace Forces Oleg Pchela.
According to the investigation, both ordered missile strikes on civilian and critical infrastructure of Ukraine. They are among the organizers of massive missile strikes on Ukraine from October 10, 2022 to January 2023. At that time, Russian strikes killed more than 50 people, and another 110 were injured.
Serhii Pinchuk also ordered the sea route from the Bosphorus to Odessa to be mined in order to block the operation of the "grain corridor". And he personally commanded shelling of the port infrastructure and coastal facilities of the agro-industrial complex of Ukraine.
Russian generals were informed of suspicion under four articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:
- Part 3 of Art. 110 (encroachment on the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine);
- Part 2 of Art. 437 (waging an aggressive war);
- h. 1 Art. 438 (violation of laws and customs of war);
- h. 2 Art. 438 (violation of the laws and customs of war, which led to the death of people).
"Grain Corridor"
On July 17, 2023, Russia withdrew from the "grain agreement", which was effective from August 1, 2022. On the same day, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy sent UN Secretary General António Guterres and Turkish President Recep Erdogan a proposal to continue the work of the Black Sea Grain Initiative or its counterpart in a tripartite format — without Russia.
The Kremlin has threatened risks in case of continuation of the "grain agreement" — they say that all vessels bound for Ukrainian ports are legitimate military targets as potential carriers of military cargo. After that, Russia began massively shelling the infrastructure of southern Ukraine.
Nevertheless, on August 10, 2023, Ukraine announced temporary corridors for civilian vessels heading to and from Black Sea ports. In February 2024 , Ukraine exported a record number of cargoes through the sea corridor.