SBU exposes Russian general for shelling Mykolaiv regional council

The SBU has served suspicion notices to two Russian military officials whom it considers to be involved in a missile attack on the Mykolaiv Regional Council building in spring 2022. The investigation claims that the attack was carried out on a civilian facility with more than a hundred people, resulting in significant civilian casualties.

This was reported by Intent with reference to the suspicions of the Prosecutor General's Office.

The SBU has served a notice of suspicion to Lieutenant General Mykhailo Zusk and Colonel Mykola Horaychuk in the case of the rocket attack on an administrative building in the center of Mykolaiv.

According to the investigation, in March 2022, the commander of the 58th Combined Arms Army of the Russian Federation , Mikhail Zusko, received an order from the command of the Southern Military District of Russia to launch a missile attack on the building of the Mykolaiv Regional Council. According to law enforcement officers, the deputy commander of the 12th Missile Brigade, Nikolay Goraychuk, was involved in the operation.

Investigators found that on March 29, 2022, at about 08:35, Russian troops used an Iskander cruise missile, which hit the central part of a nine-story administrative building. At the time, the building housed the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration, the Regional Council, the Economic Court, and other public and private institutions.

The strike occurred during business hours, when 113 civilians were inside. The explosion destroyed a large part of the left wing of the building from the first to the ninth floor, as well as the central block with staircases.

The attack killed 21 civilians and injured 27 others with varying degrees of severity. Also, 15 soldiers were killed and six were wounded. Five police officers were also injured.

The building was manned by military personnel of the State Special Communications Service, security guards and representatives of law enforcement agencies who provided protection for the facility and government communications. According to the investigation, the weapons available there were used exclusively to protect the premises and were not used in hostilities.

Law enforcement officials emphasize that at the time of the strike, no military meetings or operations were being held or planned in the building . That is why the investigation believes that the Russian command was aware of the possible consequences of the attack for the civilian population and understood that the potential military benefits of such a strike were disproportionate to the losses caused.

In addition, the case file states that the destruction of the premises and the deaths of the soldiers performing security functions did not affect the course of hostilities and did not provide Russian troops with any significant tactical or strategic advantage at the front. These circumstances were the basis for qualifying the suspects' actions as a violation of the laws and customs of war.

Also in Mykolaiv, on March 29, commemorative events were held to mark the fourth anniversary of one of the most tragic days in the city's history - a missile attack on the building of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration.

That day, 37 people were killed, including employees of the regional military administration, the regional council, the court, and military personnel who were at their workplaces. Dozens more were injured.

Анна Бальчінос