The law enforcement officers reported the suspicion to the commander of the Russian Air Force, who commanded the strikes on Ukraineʼs energy system with X-101 missiles.
This was reported by SBU and the Office of the Prosecutor General.
Itʼs about Colonel Oleg Skitsky, the commander of the 121st heavy bomber regiment of the Russian Air Force.
According to the investigation, it was on his orders that from October 2022 to February 2023, units subordinate to him shelled the territory of Ukraine with Kh-101 cruise missiles. They were released from Tu-95 bombers.
The main targets of the occupiers were key energy-generating enterprises and substations in Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Kirovohrad and Vinnytsia regions.
Due to massive shelling, dozens of civilians were killed and wounded, as well as energy facilities of Ukraine were destroyed.
Skitsky was declared of the suspicion of violating the laws and customs of warfare. The maximum penalty is life imprisonment.
- Starting in September 2022, the Russian occupiers fired more than 1,200 missiles and drones at Ukraineʼs energy facilities in half a year — approximately 250 of them hit the target. Because of shelling, temporary blackouts were introduced in the country, which in some cases lasted for several days.
- Massive rocket attacks hit the heat generation and electrical substations; all thermal and hydroelectric power plants were fired upon, which suffered varying degrees of damage. There was a power shortage in Ukraine, and the country tried to stabilize the energy system throughout the autumn and winter period.