The SSU has collected evidence against another three representatives of the russian military command involved in massive rocket and artillery strikes on Kherson’s civilian infrastructure.

The suspected russian servicemen are:

• colonel general Oleg Makarevich, commander of the Dnepr grouping of russian armed forces;
• lieutenant general Arkadiy Marzoyev, commander of the 22^nd army corps of the aggressor’s black sea fleet;
• lieutenant colonel Dmitry Zharkikh, commander of the 8^th artillery regiment of the coastal defence of the 22^nd army corps of russia’s black sea fleet.

It was under their leadership that the invaders carried out a massive shelling of Kherson on 3 May 2023, killing 24 civilians. Another 51 sustained injuries of varying severity.

The occupiers fired rocket and cannon artillery at a residential high-rise building, private houses, a shopping centre, a railway station, a petrol station and other civilian targets.

According to the investigation, the order for the strike was given by general Makarevich: he instructed his subordinates to fire on the Ukrainian city without distinguishing between civilian and military facilities.

After receiving this directive, his accomplice, general Marzoyev, prepared a massive attack on Kherson, and another suspect, Zharkikh, directly commanded the attack.

Based on the evidence collected by the SSU, the three russian war criminals were notified of suspicion under the Articles of the CCU:

• 28.2, 437.2 (planning, preparation, unleashing and waging of an aggressive war, committed by a group of persons upon prior conspiracy);
• 28.2, 438.2 (violation of laws and customs of war, committed upon prior conspiracy by a group of persons).

The suspects are on the territory not controlled by Ukraine; efforts are underway to bring them to justice for crimes against our country.

The investigation was carried out by the SSU Office in Kherson region under the procedural supervision of the regional Prosecutor’s Office.