In cooperation with the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, SSU cyber experts and investigators have collected evidence against senior commanders in the russian armed forces responsible for the missile strike on the village of Groza in the Kupiansk district of the Kharkiv region in October 2023.

The investigation found that the ruscists had deliberately targeted a local café with an Iskander-M ballistic missile while a memorial service for a deceased Ukrainian soldier was being held there.

The enemy attack resulted in the deaths of 59 civilians, including one child. Five more people were injured, some severely.

The café was completely destroyed, and nine private homes, the village council building, and 12 civilian vehicles were damaged.

The investigation found that the decision to carry out the missile strike was made by colonel-general Aleksei Kim, the chief of staff and first deputy commander of the joint group of forces in Ukraine of the russian armed forces.

The following servicemen were involved in preparing the missile attack on Kim’s orders:

•       vice-admiral Sergei Pinchuk, deputy commander of the joint group of forces of the russian armed forces;
•       rear admiral Aleksei Petrushin, head of the intelligence control centre at the staff of the joint group of forces of the russian armed forces;
•       colonel Dmitry Kozlovsky, chief of staff and first deputy commander of the missile forces and artillery of the russian armed forces.

The order to launch the ballistic missile was given directly by colonel Ivan Petrov, commander of the 119th missile brigade of the russian armed forces.

It has also been established that the missile, equipped with a 480 kg high-explosive fragmentation warhead, was launched by servicemen of russia’s 119th missile brigade from the Voronezh region, russia.

In October 2023, the SSU identified two spotters responsible for guiding the strike. They had defected to the enemy and fled to russia on the eve of the liberation of the frontline town of Kupiansk in 2022.

While already on russian territory, they covertly elicited information from acquaintances in the village about locations where large numbers of people were gathering, intending to pass this on to the enemy.

Based on the evidence, SSU investigators notified five russian military personnel of suspicion in absentia under Article 438.2 of the CCU (violation of the laws and customs of war combined with intentional murder, committed by a group, by prior conspiracy).

Efforts to bring those responsible for war crimes against Ukraine are underway.

The investigation was conducted by the SSU Office in the Kharkiv region, in cooperation with the Defence Intelligence, under the procedural supervision of the regional Prosecutor’s Office.