The Kharkiv regional prosecutorʼs office reported suspicion to the Russian commander, who ordered to open fire on cars with civilians, for violating the laws and customs of war (Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine), the agency said.
According to the investigation, the Russian commander together with other servicemen arrived in the Belgorod oblast of Russia, where he received information about the preparation of a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine.
After invading the territory of Ukraine, the occupiers arrived at the Kharkiv ring road. Civilians who were driving on this road were ordered by the Russian Armed Forces to turn around and leave the place. People expressed their dissatisfaction and asked to be given the opportunity to take this road to a safe area. However, the Russian commander ordered to fire on civilian cars.
Several Russian servicemen refused to comply with the criminal order, asking people to leave their cars and get out. The mother and daughter stopped, and the Russian servicemen helped them to hide, but they were seen by other Russian servicemen who were ready to carry out the criminal instructions of their commander. They started shooting at their own and at the women. As a result, one Russian military man and his mother died, and his daughter managed to escape. She ran to her car and saw a wounded Russian soldier helping her, he passed by on the ground. The woman put him in a car, saving his own life and his life.
The other men and the woman, who were standing in the traffic jam, decided to turn around and leave, but the occupiers opened fire on their car. The man received a gunshot wound but managed to leave.
It was also established that the Russian commander in 2008 took part in the Russian war against Georgia and "supported security" during an illegal referendum in Ukrainian Crimea.
The pre-trial investigation is being carried out by the Office of the Security Service of Ukraine in Kharkiv Oblast.