The SSU has identified another five russian war criminals involved in mass killings of civilians in Kyiv region during the occupation. The five suspects are servicemen of the 98th airborne division of the russian army.

According to the investigation, in early March 2022 senior lieutenant Nikolai Simov ordered his subordinates to fire at a car carrying a civilian Kyiv resident on a road near the village of Zdvyzhivka, Bucha district.

As a result of the shooting, the 33-year-old died on the spot.

The man was driving to deliver essentials to his friends, who had been under occupation for several days.

But he did not make it to the captured village: the ruscists shot his car from automatic weapons from their positions on the roadside.

To conceal the crime, the russian military buried the victim in a nearby forest.

The law enforcement agencies located the body, conducted a forensic examination and identified the deceased.

The investigation revealed that at the time of the crime Simov had been a deputy commander of the 7th company of the 3rd battalion of the 331^st airborne regiment of the mentioned division.

His subordinates from the 2nd platoon, who shot at the civilian car, are:

• sergeant Ilia Astakhov - deputy platoon commander;
• sergeant Andrey Dvoretsky - squad commander;
• сorporal Ruslan Kharitonov - gunner-operator;
• private Oleg Bakhmisov - rifleman.

Based on the collected evidence, SSU investigators have notified all five of suspicion under Article 438.2 of the CCU (violation of laws and customs of war, combined with intentional murder).

Comprehensive efforts are underway to identify the suspects’ location and bring them to prosecution. Investigators are checking the information that Simov has been allegedly killed in action in Ukraine. However, the confirmation of his death will not be a reason to stop the investigation.

The SSU is working on the case jointly with the National Police under the procedural supervision of the Prosecutor General’s Office.