Odesa starts hearing case of Russian colonel over shelling of Zdorovye highway

The Prymorskyi District Court of Odesa has begun consideration of the case of Russian colonel Yevhen Lederer, 43, who is accused of a war crime.

According to the investigation, it was he who ordered an air strike on civilian infrastructure on April 29, 2024.

The cluster missile exploded over the Zdorovye Trail, a recreational area of the city and a popular vacation spot. Eight civilians were killed, including a young child. According to the SBU, from September 30, 2022, to August 2024, Yevhen Lederer served as the commander of the 12th Missile Brigade of the 58th Combined Arms Army of the Southern Military District of the Land Forces of the Russian Federation.

All missile units of the 12th Missile Brigade of the 58th Combined Arms Army of the Southern Military District of the Russian Armed Forces were directly subordinated to Yevhen Lederer. He was responsible for fulfilling the assigned tasks in accordance with the decisions and plans of the highest military command of the Russian Armed Forces.

The investigation established that on April 29, 2024, he ordered his subordinates to use ballistic weapons against the civilian infrastructure of Odesa. An Iskander-M operational-tactical missile system with a cluster warhead was used for the attack.

As a result of the attack, 32 people were injured, 25 of them were hospitalized. Eight people, including a young child, were killed. Also, according to social media, the palace of students of the Odesa Law Academy, known in Odesa as the "Harry Potter Castle," was damaged, and according to unconfirmed reports, MP Serhiy Kivalov, who is the honorary president and founder of the law academy, was injured.

Кирило Бойко