Russian military pilot indicted for bombing Kharkiv

Svitlana Kizilovа — Monday, 7 March 2022, 21:38

 A Russian military pilot was indicted in Ukraine for targeting civilian infrastructure in the Kharkiv Region.

Source: Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine on Facebook

Details: The Prosecutor's Office notes that this Russian pilot, with the rank of lieutenant colonel, is the deputy commander of one of the aviation regiments of the Russian Armed Forces.

The Prosecutor’s Office has not named the pilot, but it is likely Lt. Colonel Maksim Kryshtopa.

It was his plane that was shot down over Kharkiv, and the Security Service of Ukraine published the video of his interrogation.

He is suspected of encroaching on the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine, which led to the death of civilians, as well as of violations of the laws and customs of war (Part 3 of Article 110, Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code).

According to the investigation, on 24 February and 3 March 2022, the suspect and the navigator, following the illegal order of the commander of the Russian Air Force, took off from the airport in Voronezh (Russia), illegally crossed the national border of Ukraine and launched air strikes on Izyum in the Kharkiv Region.

As a result of these actions, 8 civilians were killed.

In addition, on 6 March 2022, the same persons bombed the city of Kharkiv in order to destroy regular units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

As a result, multi-storey residential buildings, administrative buildings, medical facilities, educational institutions, and dormitories were completely or partially destroyed in Kharkiv.

The plane was shot down by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The suspect ejected from the aeroplane and was later apprehended.

The pre-trial criminal investigation is being carried out by the Investigations Department of the Security Service of Ukraine in the Kharkiv Region.